Question

You are at a pool party and notice that 2 waves pass by a floating ball in 4 seconds. If the distance between each wave crest is 2 meters, what is the speed of the waves? Note: To calculate frequency, use the equation: Frequency = Number of waves / Time (Remember, the / symbol means division) Then, to calculate wave speed, use the equation: Wave speed (m/s) = Frequency (Hz) x Wavelength (m) (1 point)
A 1 m/s
B 6 m/s
C 2 m/s
D 1.5 m/s

Answer 1

To calculate the speed of the waves, we need to follow these steps:

1. **Calculate the frequency of the waves**:
Frequency (Hz) = Number of waves / Time (s)

We know that 2 waves pass by in 4 seconds:
\[
\text{Frequency} = \frac{2 \text{ waves}}{4 \text{ seconds}} = 0.5 \text{ Hz}
\]

2. **Determine the wavelength**:
The distance between each wave crest (wavelength) is given as 2 meters.

3. **Calculate the wave speed using the wave speed formula**:
Wave speed (m/s) = Frequency (Hz) × Wavelength (m)
\[
\text{Wave speed} = 0.5 \text{ Hz} \times 2 \text{ m} = 1 \text{ m/s}
\]

The speed of the waves is **1 m/s**. Therefore, the correct answer is:

**A 1 m/s**.