Question

An explosion occurs at the end of a pier. The sound reaches the other end of the pier by traveling through three media: air, fresh water, and a slender metal handrail. The speeds of sound in air, water, and the handrail are 355, 1410, and 5380 m/s, respectively. The sound travels a distance of 140 m in each medium. (a) After the first sound arrives, how much later does the second sound arrive? (b) After the first sound arrives, how much later does the third sound arrive?

Answer 1

t1= s/v1 = 140/355 = 0.394 s.
t2 = s/v2 = 140/1410 = 0.099 s.
t3 =s/v3 = 140/5380 = 0.026 s.
Δt1 =0.099 – 0.026 = 0.073 s.
Δt2 = 0.394 – 0.026 = 0.368 s.

Answer 2

0.073s
0.368s