Question

You are 2,113 meters away from a ship and the airtemperature is 39.64 °F. How long (in seconds) does it takefor you to hear the sound of the ship's whistle after seeingits condensed steam?

Answer 1

First, find the speed of the sound at the given temperature.

`\begin{gathered} v=331+0.6T \\ v=331+0.6\cdot4.24_{} \\ v=333.54\cdot(m)/(s) \end{gathered}`

Observe that we used the temperature in Celcius, not Fahrenheit.

`C=(5)/(9)\cdot(39.64-32)=4.24`

Then, we use the constant motion formula to find the time.

`\begin{gathered} t=(d)/(v)=(2113m)/(333.54\cdot(m)/(s)) \\ t=6.34\sec \end{gathered}`

Therefore, it would take 6.34 seconds to hear the sound.