A hiker shouts towards a vertical cliff 305 meters away. The echo is heard 1.85 seconds later.
How fast did the sound wave travel in air?
d = V*t = 305 m.
V*(1.85/2) = 305
V = 329.7 m/s.
1014 m
To find the speed of sound in air, we can use the formula:
Speed = Distance / Time
In this scenario, the distance is twice the actual distance traveled by sound because the sound wave travels from the hiker to the cliff and then back again (since it's an echo). So, the total distance covered by the sound wave is 2 * 305 meters = 610 meters.
The time it takes for the echo to be heard is given as 1.85 seconds.
By plugging these values into the formula, we can calculate the speed of sound in air:
Speed = 610 meters / 1.85 seconds
Using a calculator, we divide 610 by 1.85 and find that the speed of sound in air is approximately 329.73 meters per second.