Question

you are at a pool party and notice the 2 waves pass by a floating beall 4 seconds if the distance between each wave crest is 2 meters what is the speed the waves

Answer 1

To find the speed of the waves, you can use the formula for wave speed, which is given by the equation:

\[
\text{Speed} = \text{Wavelength} \times \text{Frequency}
\]

1. **Wavelength**: The distance between each wave crest is given as 2 meters. This is the wavelength (\( \lambda = 2 \) m).

2. **Frequency**: Frequency is defined as the number of waves that pass a point in one second. Since 2 waves pass by in 4 seconds, the frequency (\( f \)) can be calculated as:

\[
f = \frac{\text{Number of waves}}{\text{Time in seconds}} = \frac{2 \text{ waves}}{4 \text{ seconds}} = 0.5 \text{ Hz}
\]

3. **Calculate Speed**: Now, substituting the wavelength and frequency into the wave speed equation:

\[
\text{Speed} = \lambda \times f = 2 \text{ m} \times 0.5 \text{ Hz} = 1 \text{ m/s}
\]

Thus, the speed of the waves is **1 meter per second (m/s)**.