How Do You Calculate Wave Speed and Frequency in Water and Sound Waves?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
1 reply · 3K views
ahrog
Messages
45
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


1. Water waves in a lake travel 4.4m in 1.8s. The period of oscillation is 1.2 s.
a) What is the speed of the water waves?
b) What is the period of the water waves?
2. A group of swimmers is resting in the sun on an off-shore raft. They estimate that 2.0m separates a trough and an adjacent crest of the surface waves on the lake. They count 14 crests that pass by the raft in 20s. How fast are the waves moving?
3. a) A tuning fork vibrates 192 times in 1.50 s. What is its frequency?
b) What is it's period?


Homework Equations



v=wavelength x frequency
frequency=1/ T

The Attempt at a Solution


1. a) v=d/t
4.4m/1.8s
=2.4m/s

b) f=1/T
=1/1.2s
=0.83 Hz

2.) v= wf
=(6m)(14 crests/20s)
=4.2m/s

3. a) f=1/T =1/(1.5s/192) = 128Hz
b) T=192vibrations/1.50 seconds
=0.00781 s

I just need someone to check these over, as they are worth a portion of my grade, and I don't want to make stupid mistakes.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Question 1b
They ask for a period.

Question 2
Fourteen crests corresponds to how many wavelengths?