Final answer:
The speed of a wave pulse on a cable can be calculated with the distance traveled and the time taken. In this case, the ski gondola wave pulse traveled 1200 meters in 18 seconds, resulting in a pulse speed of 66.67 meters per second.
Step-by-step explanation:
The speed of a wave pulse on a cable or string can be determined by using the round-trip time for the pulse to travel to the end and back. Since the ski gondola wave pulse took 18 seconds to return and the length of the cable is 600 meters, this implies that the total distance traveled by the pulse is 1200 meters (out and back). Therefore, to find the speed of the pulse, we can use the formula:
Speed = Distance / Time
Substituting the given values:
Speed = 1200 m / 18 s
Speed = 66.67 m/s
So, the speed of the pulse is 66.67 meters per second.