Final answer:
The time delay for a person to hear an explosion 6.00 km away, using an average speed of sound of 343 m/s, is calculated to be approximately 17.49 seconds. Therefore, the closest given answer is 17.6 seconds (b).
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the time delay for a person to hear an explosion that occurs 6.00 km away, we need to use the speed of sound. The speed of sound varies slightly based on altitude and temperature, but a commonly used average value at sea level and room temperature is around 343 meters per second (m/s). To find the time delay, we use the formula:
Time Delay = Distance / Speed of Sound
In this instance, the distance (d) is 6,000 meters (as there are 1,000 meters in a kilometer), and using the average speed of sound (v) as 343 m/s, we get:
Time Delay = 6,000 m / 343 m/s
Time Delay ≈ 17.49 seconds
After calculating, we can conclude that the closest answer to the calculated time delay would be 17.6 seconds (b).