A fisherman notices that his boat is moving up and down periodically, owing to waves on the surface of the water. It takes a time of 2.80 s for the boat to travel from its highest point to its lowest, a total distance of 0.600 m. The fisherman sees that the wave crests are spaced a distance 5.70 m apart.

How fast are the waves traveling?

To find the speed of the waves, we can use the equation:

Speed = Distance / Time

First, let's determine the time it takes for a wave to pass by the boat. The wave crests are spaced 5.70 m apart, and the boat travels from its highest point to its lowest point in 2.80 s. Since the boat travels one full wave crest in this time, we can say that the time for one wave to pass by is 2.80 s.

Next, we can calculate the speed using the formula. The distance traveled by one wave crest is 5.70 m, which is equal to the distance covered by the boat in one period. Therefore, the speed of the waves is:

Speed = 5.70 m / 2.80 s

Solving this equation gives us:

Speed = 2.04 m/s

So, the speed of the waves on the surface of the water is 2.04 m/s.