Final answer:
To calculate the distance from the camper to the hillside, the speed of sound is multiplied by the time the echo takes to return and then divided by two. The camper is approximately 260.68 meters away from the hill, considering the speed of sound is 343 m/s and the echo returns in 1.52 seconds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves calculating the distance from a camper to a hillside based on the time it takes for an echo to return. When a person yells and hears the echo after a certain amount of time, the sound wave has to travel to the hill and back. Therefore, the total distance covered by the sound is twice the distance between the person and the hill. To find the distance to the hill, we use the formula: distance = (speed of sound × time) / 2.
In the given problem, the camper hears her echo 1.52 seconds after yelling. With the speed of sound given as 343 meters per second (m/s), we can calculate the distance to the hill. Simply multiply the speed of sound by the time it takes to hear the echo and then divide by two:
distance = (343 m/s × 1.52 s) / 2
distance = 260.68 meters
So, the camper is approximately 260.68 meters away from the hill.