Approximately how long does an earhquake P-wave take to travel the first 6500 kilometers after the earthquake occurs?
a. 6.5 min
b. 8.0 min
c. 10.0 min
d. 18.5 min
Typical P-wave speeds are 6 km per sec.
Time = 6500 km/6 km/s = 1083 s = 18 min
d. is the closest answer to that
You should have been provided with some information abut the P wave speed.
This is so hard! I am in 6th grade an really, my teacher never taught us this, and we are having to do COLLEGE work. I was looking on another sight and it ACTUALLY said that it was 6.5. Miss calculation? I think maybe.... for the guy who said 6.5.
To determine the approximate time it takes for an earthquake P-wave to travel the first 6500 kilometers, we can use the average speed of P-waves.
1. Find the average speed of P-waves:
- The average speed of P-waves in the Earth's crust is about 6-7 kilometers per second.
2. Calculate the travel time:
- Divide the distance traveled (6500 kilometers) by the average speed of P-waves (6-7 kilometers per second) to get the time in seconds.
- Convert the time from seconds to minutes.
Let's perform the calculation:
6500 kilometers ÷ 6 kilometers per second = 1083.33 seconds
1083.33 seconds ÷ 60 seconds per minute = 18.05 minutes (approximately)
So, the approximate time it takes for an earthquake P-wave to travel the first 6500 kilometers is about 18.05 minutes. Therefore, the closest option from the given choices is:
d. 18.5 min