A fisherman fishing from a pier observes that the float on his line bobs up and down, taking 2.4 s to move from its highest to its lowest point. He also estimates that the distance between adjacent wave crests is 48 m. What is the speed of the waves going past the pier?
A) 1.0 m/s
B) 20 m/s
C) 10 m/s
D) 5.0 m/s
E) 115 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The speed of the waves is equal to the distance between adjacent wave crests divided by the time it takes for the float to move from its highest to its lowest point. In this case, the distance between adjacent wave crests is 48 m and the time it takes for the float to move from its highest to its lowest point is 2.4 s. Therefore, the speed of the waves is 48 m / 2.4 s = 20 m/s.

A Fisherman Fishing from a Pier Observes That the Float