Finding distance between two origin points; waves

Thank you!In summary, the conversation discusses a scenario where a scuba diver submerged in a lake hears a boat horn above her, while her friend on dry land also hears the horn. The horn is 1.2 m above the surface of the water and the distance of the diver from the horn is unknown. With the given information of the speed of sound in water and the friend's distance from the boat, the unknown distance can be calculated.
  • #1
Butterlegs
2
0
1. A submerged scuba diver hears the sound of a boat horn directly above her on the surface of the lake. At the same time, a friend on dry land 22.0 m from the boat also hears the horn (Figure 1). The horn is 1.2 m above the surface of the water. What is the distance (labelled by"?" in Figure 1) from the horn to the diver? The speed of sound in water vwater = 1482 m/s.

I have absolutely no idea where to start with this. I am completely stumped. Any help would be greatly appreciated
 
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  • #2
So you know the speed of sound in water (and air, presumably) and you need to know the distance. What bit of information are you missing to convert a speed to a distance?
You should find that you can use the other given data (the friend at 22.0 m on dry land) to calculate this.
 
  • #3
I really don't know how I missed that.
 

1. What is the formula for finding the distance between two origin points?

The formula for finding the distance between two origin points is the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the hypotenuse (longest side) of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

2. How do waves affect the distance between two origin points?

Waves do not directly affect the distance between two origin points. However, if the two points are located on a body of water, the distance between them may change due to the movement of the water caused by the waves.

3. Can the distance between two origin points be negative?

No, the distance between two origin points cannot be negative. Distance is a measure of how far apart two points are and cannot have a negative value.

4. How can the distance between two origin points be measured accurately?

The distance between two origin points can be measured accurately using various tools such as a ruler, measuring tape, or GPS. The accuracy of the measurement will depend on the precision of the tool used.

5. Is there a difference between the distance between two origin points and the displacement between them?

Yes, there is a difference between the distance between two origin points and the displacement between them. Distance is the total length traveled between two points, while displacement is the straight-line distance between the starting and ending point.

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