Question

A sunbather stands waist deep in the ocean and observes that six crests of periodic surface waves pass each minute. The crests are 16.00 meters apart. What is the wavelength, frequency, period, and speed of the waves

Answer 1

Wavelength = 16 m

Frequency = 0.1 Hz

Period = 10 s^-1

speed of the wave = 1.6 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

The crests of the wave is 16.00 m apart

Also, 6 crests pass per minute

The wavelength of this wave is the distance between consecutive corresponding troughs or crests. This means that the wavelength λ is 16 m

Frequency is defined as a number of cycles per seconds.

A minute has 60 sec, therefore, the frequency of this wave is

==> f = 6/60 = 0.1 Hz

Period is the inverse of the frequency, therefore period of the wave is

==> T = 1/0.1 = 10 s^-1

Speed of the wave is the frequency times the wavelength

v = λf = 16 x 0.1 = 1.6 m/s