For a certain transverse wave, the distance between two successive maxima is 1.82 meters and eight maxima pass a given point along the direction of travel every 14.2 seconds. Calculate the wave speed.
Answer in units of m/s
speed(m/s) = wavelength(m) * frequency (1/s)
so, speed = 1.82m * 8/14.2s = 1.025m/s
To calculate the wave speed, we can use the formula:
wave speed = distance / time
Here, the distance between two successive maxima (also known as the wavelength) is given as 1.82 meters, and the time it takes for eight maxima to pass a given point (also known as the period) is given as 14.2 seconds.
First, we need to calculate the period of one wave. Since there are eight maxima passing a given point in 14.2 seconds, the period for one wave is:
period = 14.2 seconds / 8 = 1.775 seconds
Next, we can calculate the wave speed using the formula:
wave speed = wavelength / period
wave speed = 1.82 meters / 1.775 seconds
Finally, we can calculate the wave speed:
wave speed ≈ 1.026 m/s
Therefore, the wave speed is approximately 1.026 meters per second.