A bat flying in a cave emits a sound and receives its echo 1 s later. How far away is the cave
wall?
Recall that distance = speed * time
so what is the speed of sound?
That is the time for the round trip.
To determine the distance of the cave wall, we can use the speed of sound and the time it takes for the bat's sound to travel to the wall and back as an echo.
The speed of sound in air is approximately 343 meters per second, but it can vary depending on air temperature and humidity. Let's assume this value for now.
Since the bat emits a sound and receives its echo 1 second later, it means that the sound has traveled the entire distance twice (to the wall and back). So, the total time for the sound to travel to the wall and back is 2 seconds.
Using the formula: distance = speed x time, we can calculate the distance.
distance = speed of sound x time
distance = 343 m/s x 2 s
distance = 686 meters
Therefore, the cave wall is approximately 686 meters away from the bat.