Question

A duck is 12 m from the edge of a pond. A student stands in the middle of the pond

and creates ripples that travel past the duck and towards the edge of the pond. The
ripples are produced uniformly at 2 ripples per second. The student determines that
the ripples take 3.0 seconds after they pass the duck to reach the edge of the pond.
Determine the wavelength of the ripples.

Answer 1

The wavelength is 2 meters

Step-by-step explanation:

The relationship between the frequency, the speed and the wavelength is given by the relation;

v = f × λ

The given parameters are;

The distance of the duck from the edge of the pond = 12 m

The number of ripples produced per second = Frequency, f = 2 Hz

The time it takes the ripple to reach the edge of the pond after travelling past the duck = 3 seconds

Therefore, speed of the wave, v = Distance/time = 12 m/(3 s) = 4 m/s

The wavelength, λ, is therefore;

λ = v/f = (4 m/s)/(2 Hz) = 2 meters.