2. A pulse of sound takes 1 second to travel 2,460 feet to the seafloor and back. A ship stops in a different area where the seafloor extends to the bottom of the Abyss. An echosounder gives out a pulse of sound that takes 8 seconds to travel to the seafloor and back. How deep is the ocean at the bottom of the Abyss?

Answer 1

To determine the depth of the ocean at the bottom of the Abyss, we can use the speed of sound in water to calculate the distance the sound wave traveled.

Speed of sound in water = 4,920 feet per second

For the first scenario:
Distance traveled = Speed * Time
Distance = 4,920 feet/second * 1 second = 4,920 feet

Since the sound wave traveled from the ship to the seafloor and back, the actual depth of the ocean in this scenario would be 4,920 feet / 2 = 2,460 feet.

For the second scenario:
Time taken = 8 seconds

Distance = 4,920 feet/second * 8 seconds = 39,360 feet

Since the sound wave traveled from the ship to the seafloor and back, the actual depth of the ocean at the bottom of the Abyss would be 39,360 feet / 2 = 19,680 feet.

Therefore, the depth of the ocean at the bottom of the Abyss is 19,680 feet.