How deep is the water if it takes a pulse of ultrasound 0.8s to be received back at the boat. the speed of ultrasound is 1600m/s in water

firstly we know how fast the wave is travelling and we know for how long so using our speed equals distance over time equation we can rearange for distance (D= VT).

we can the plug in our speed(V) and our time (T) to get distance = 1600 x 0.8                                     this gives use a distance of 1280 m.

however we have to rememeber that the wave had to go down to the sea floor then back up to the boat so it has travelled two times the depth of the sea.

therefore the depth of the sea is 1280 / 2  = 640m

RC
Answered by Ross C. Physics tutor

5960 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Why do Physicists take multiple readings in experiments?


The loudspeaker produces a sound wave with a frequency of 850 hertz and a wavelength of 0.4 metres. Calculate the speed of this sound wave. Give the unit


Given I climb two steps every second and I have a mass of 50kg, what is the power output of my legs in kilowatts? (3 significant figures)


A speaker emits a sound wave through a metallic block, with a speed of 0.42 km/s, and a frequency of 16kHz. Calculate the wavelength to 3.s.f. Describe the characteristics of a longitudinal wave.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences