(a) Calculate the propagation speed of waves on the surface of the ocean that ha

Question

(a) Calculate the propagation speed of waves on the surface of the ocean that have crests 2.00 m apart and arrive at the rate of 30.0 per second. (b) What is the unreasonable about this result? (c) Which premise of assumption is responsible?

This is a little excerpt in the book for this problem:

The following problems have results that are unreasonable because some premise is unreasonable or because certain of the premises are inconsistent with one another. Physical prinicples applied correctly then produce unreasonable results. The purpose of these problems is to give practice in assessing whether nature is being accurately described, and if it is not to trace the source of difficulty.

Explanation / Answer

a)

wavelength , L = 2 m

frequency, f = 30 Hz

So, propagation speed of the wave = L*f = 30*2 = 60 m/s

b)

We see 60 m/s = 216 km/h is too high for a practical wave... SO this is unreasonable..

c)

This result is a direct result of the frequency being too high for a practical wave.

We can clearly see that 30 waves hitting you in 1 second is too impractical..

So, the rate of arrival of waves (or frequency) may be the premise of assumption that is responsible for the result...

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