What is Depth: Definition and 362 Discussions

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosive charges and a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters.
Depth charges were developed during World War I, and were one of the first effective methods of attacking a submarine underwater. They were widely used in World War I and World War II. They remained part of the anti-submarine arsenals of many navies during the Cold War. Depth charges have now largely been replaced by anti-submarine homing torpedoes.

A depth charge fitted with a nuclear warhead is also known as a "nuclear depth bomb". These were designed to be dropped from a patrol plane or deployed by an anti-submarine missile from a surface ship, or another submarine, located a safe distance away. By the late 1990s all nuclear anti-submarine weapons had been withdrawn from service by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. They have been replaced by conventional weapons whose accuracy and range had improved greatly as ASW technology improved.

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  1. S

    Calculating Water Density at 10.92 km Depth

    At the bottom of the ocean at 10.92 km the pressure is 1.16*10^8 pa. If the pressure is calculated ignoring the change of density the pressure is 1.10*10^8 pa I have to calculate the water density at the bottom using the compressibility and the actual pressure. Since k= - Delta V/Vo*DeltaP...
  2. C

    Actual Depth and Apparent Depth

    Okay, I need a bit of a jump start with this question, I know how to find the Apparent depth normally, but I've never done actual depth and I can't really figure it out (*stupid*) 11. Frederika is sitting in her fishing boat observing a rainbow trout swimming below the surface of the water...
  3. F

    Torque: Understanding the Complexity Behind the Physics

    I have a few years of physics experience, and as I was thinking about a few things the other day, something about the concept of torque seemed a little weird to me. Simple Forces are easy to understand - gravity pulls down on an object, the ground pushes back up with an equal and opposite...
  4. C

    What Depth Achieves Sixfold Atmospheric Pressure in a Lake?

    At what depth beneath the surface of a lake is the absolute pressure 6 times the atmospheric pressure of 1.01 x 105 Pa that acts on the lake's surface? pressure = density * g * h I thought to multiply 6 * 1.10 X 10^5 pa. Then divide that answer by 1000 kg/m3 (density of water, right?) *...
  5. H

    Wave Tank Refraction: Does Depth Affect Refraction?

    When using a wave tank to create waves that then pass through a gap in a barrier to create refraction that expands out the other side of the gap,, if the depth of the water is increased but the frequency is the same, will the amount of refraction increase or decrease? Basically, when depth in...
  6. K

    Determine the actual depth of the shaft to the nearest metre

    Hi there again, I am having problems answering this question A girl wishes to estimate the depth d of a straight mine-shaft. She drops a stone vertically down the shaft and finds that there is an interval of 6 seconds between the instant she dropped the stone at the top of the shaft and...
  7. P

    Physics - optics - apparent depth

    My physics textbook has a diagram that illustrates Apparent Depth... but I can't understand it. Specifically, why does the image appear where it is (at apparent depth)? I understand that as the light from the object moves from water to air, refraction occurs... but I'm thinking, shouldn't...
  8. N

    Simple problem. Depth of well providing sound reaches you in 1.5 second.

    I was wondering you someone could help me with an alternative way of solving this problem. Just to help my algebra a bit. You drop a rock down a well. Find the depth of the well providing the sound of the splash reaches you in 1.5 seconds. First off, we know speed of sound is 343 m/s...
  9. J

    Finding Penetration Depth in a finite well

    The problem is as follows: A 50-eV electron is trapped between negligible-width capacitors charged to 200V (each with an exit hole). How far does its wave function extend beyond the capacitors? I know the answer is 1.6 x 10^-11 m, but I cannot get to that. Any ideas? -Jason
  10. J

    Measuring Depth of Water in a Tank: Course Help

    Course help! Could PLZ on help on one thing. I don't know wot the following are and how they incorperate into my work course which is about meauring the depth of water in a tank using sound waves and messuring the time delay ogf the reflected wave. Resolution response time systematic bias or...
  11. zeronem

    How Do You Calculate the Sinking Depth of Wood in Water?

    I would like someone to tell me the steps for working out this problem. Specifically I would like to know the Equations needed to use for the problem. Here is the problem. It seems very simple, but I seen to get lost in converting SI Units and then I get confused. A Piece of wood is 2cm...
  12. E

    Would the concept of empty space exist without depth perception?

    For the past few thousand years or so, the philosophy of space has occupied a lot of time among philosophers. There is really no argument as to the traditional definition of "space" as it usually relates to volume, being length width and breadth. But the big debate has typically been over the...
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