Question

The period of a wave is equal to the time it takes for one wavelength to pass by a fixed point. You stand on a pier watching water waves and see 10.9 waves pass by in a time of 28 seconds.What is the period of the water waves? Round to nearest .01 and do not include units in your answer.

Answer 1

T = 2.57 s

Step-by-step explanation:

The period of a wave is equal to the time it takes for one wavelength to pass by a fixed point.

No of waves observed = 10.9

Time taken, t = 28 s

We need to find the period of the water waves. Number of waves per unit time is called frequency. Let it is f. So,

`f=(n)/(t)\\\\f=(10.9)/(28)\\\\f=0.389\ Hz`

If T is period of the wave. It is equal to the reciprocal of frequency.

`T=(1)/(f)\\\\T=(1)/(0.389)\\\\T=2.57\ s`

So, the period of the water waves is 2.57 seconds.