While watching ocean waves at the dock of the bay, Otis notices that 10 waves pass beneath him in 30 seconds. He also notices that the crests of successive waves exactly coincide with the posts that are 5 meters apart. What are the period, frequency, wavelength, and speed of the ocean waves?
wavelegnth=5m
period- 10wave 30sec
1wave Xsec
X=3sec
Frequency=1/T
=1/3
=0.33Hz
V=f.wavelegnth
=0.33Hzx5m
=1.65m.s
To answer this question, we need to understand the definitions and relationships between period, frequency, wavelength, and speed in wave motion.
1. Period (T): The period of a wave is the time it takes for one complete wave cycle to pass a given point. It is measured in seconds.
2. Frequency (f): The frequency of a wave is the number of complete wave cycles passing a given point per unit of time. It is measured in hertz (Hz), which is the number of cycles per second.
3. Wavelength (λ): The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two consecutive identical points on the wave, such as two crests or two troughs. It is measured in meters.
4. Speed (v): The speed of a wave is the distance it travels per unit of time. It is measured in meters per second.
Now let's calculate the period, frequency, wavelength, and speed of the ocean waves based on the given information:
1. Period (T): Otis notices that 10 waves pass beneath him in 30 seconds. Therefore, the period can be calculated by dividing the total time (30 seconds) by the number of waves (10):
T = total time / number of waves
T = 30 seconds / 10 waves
T = 3 seconds per wave
2. Frequency (f): The frequency can be calculated by taking the reciprocal of the period:
f = 1 / T
f = 1 / 3 Hz
f = 0.33 Hz
3. Wavelength (λ): Otis notices that the crests of successive waves exactly coincide with the posts that are 5 meters apart. Therefore, the wavelength is equal to the distance between consecutive posts:
λ = distance between posts
λ = 5 meters
4. Speed (v): The speed of a wave can be calculated by multiplying the frequency (f) by the wavelength (λ):
v = f * λ
v = 0.33 Hz * 5 meters
v = 1.66 meters per second
Therefore, based on the given information, the period of the ocean waves is 3 seconds, the frequency is 0.33 Hz, the wavelength is 5 meters, and the speed is 1.66 meters per second.