Calculating Wave Distance Across Land

  • Thread starter NoHeart
  • Start date
In summary, the conversation discusses a question about the distance a wave will travel across land if it approaches shore at a certain speed and the shore is a certain height. The person asking the question is trying to help their mom understand a potential earthquake and is struggling with the physics involved.
  • #1
NoHeart
28
0
This isn't homework, but it's a question:
if an 80 ft. wave approaches shore at 800 miles per hour, and the shore is 82 ft. above sea level, how far will the wave travel across land?

My mom lives in California and has become obsessed with this earthquake that will allegedly happen tomorrow or twenty years from now (born-again christian, really into the whole "end times" thing). She thinks I'm smart and asked me to figure this out for her...It's been a while since I've had a physics class and I don't really know where to start with this.
 
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  • #2
That is wayyyyyy beyond Intro Physics. :rofl:
 
  • #3
Umm... Well, if you do th- *mumbles on*
 
  • #4
yep

yeah...i knew i couldn't be *that* stupid to be so baffled by the question...thanks anyway!
 
  • #5
From what I can say LOL... If we were talking forces... Find friction o_O
 

1. What is the formula for calculating distance?

The formula for calculating distance is distance = velocity x time, where distance is measured in meters (m), velocity in meters per second (m/s), and time in seconds (s).

2. How do you calculate velocity?

Velocity is calculated by dividing distance by time, or velocity = distance / time. It is measured in meters per second (m/s).

3. Can you explain the difference between speed and velocity?

Speed is a measure of how fast an object is moving, while velocity is both the speed and the direction of the object's movement. For example, a car traveling at 60 mph has a speed of 60 mph, but its velocity could be 60 mph east.

4. How does distance affect velocity?

Distance does not directly affect velocity. Velocity is determined by both speed and direction, so an object can have the same velocity regardless of the distance it has traveled.

5. What units are used to measure velocity?

Velocity is measured in meters per second (m/s) in the metric system, or in feet per second (ft/s) or miles per hour (mph) in the imperial system.

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