A fishing-boat captain returns to port saying,"It's rough out there

Question

A fishing-boat captain returns to port saying,"It's rough out there - the waves are 4 meters high." He probably means that the amplitude of the waves is
A)4 m.
B)3 m.
C)2 m.
D)1 m.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The height of the waves refers to the distance from the trough to the crest, which is twice the amplitude. Therefore, if the waves are 4 meters high, the amplitude is 2 meters.