The speed of sound in air depends on the temperature, humidity, and pressure of the air. At a temperature of 20°C, the speed of sound in dry air is approximately 343 meters per second.
To find the distance to the wall, we need to first find the time it takes for the sound to travel to the wall and back. Since Tom hears the echo 0.554 seconds later, the sound must have traveled to the wall and back, so the total distance traveled by the sound is twice the distance to the wall.
Let d be the distance to the wall in meters. Then, the time it takes for the sound to travel to the wall and back is:
t = 2d / v
where v is the speed of sound in air.
Substituting v = 343 m/s and t = 0.554 s, we get:
0.554 s = 2d / 343 m/s
Solving for d, we get:
d = (0.554 s) * (343 m/s) / 2
d = 94.8515 meters
Therefore, the wall is approximately 94.9 meters away from Tom.