Chapter 14, Problem 2PCE

To determine: The speed of the waves

Answer: The speed of the waves is 10.8 ms^-1.

Explanation:

Given info: The wavelength of the waves is 38 m. The number of waves passing per minute is 17.

The formula to calculate the frequency of the waves is,

$f=\text{number of waves in a second}$

Thus calculate the number of waves per sec,

$\begin{array}{c}f=17{\min }^{-1}\times \left(\frac{1\min }{60\sec }\right)\\ =0.283\text{Hz}\end{array}$

The formula to calculate the velocity of the surfer is

$v=f\lambda$

Here,

v is the speed of the wave.

f is the frequency of the waves

λ is the wavelength of the wave.

Substitute 0.283Hz for f and 38 m for λ in the above equation.

$\begin{array}{c}v=f\lambda \\ =\left(0.283\text{Hz}\right)\left(38\text{m}\right)\\ =10.8{\text{ms}}^{\text{-1}}\end{array}$

Conclusion:

Therefore, the velocity of the waves is 10.8 ms^-1.