Final answer:
The power output when the breakers are 0.600 m high would be 2.5 kW, as it is a direct proportion to the square of the height of the wave, and in this case, the height is halved.
Step-by-step explanation:
If we assume that the device extracts energy from ocean breakers in direct proportion to their intensity, and it produces 10.0 kW of power when breakers are 1.20 m high, we can determine the power output when they are 0.600 m high by setting up a ratio.
The intensity of the wave is typically related to the square of its height. This means if the height of the wave is halved, the intensity—and therefore the power extracted by the device—would be reduced to a quarter. So, for a wave height of 0.600 m, which is half of 1.20 m, the power produced would be:
10.0 kW × (0.600 m / 1.20 m)² = 10.0 kW × (0.5)²
= 10.0 kW × 0.25
= 2.5 kW.
Therefore, the correct answer is (a) 2.5 kW.