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Physics Exercises/Vibrations and Sound

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Waves, basic

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The distance between successive crests in the waves in the ocean is 7.5 m. The crests travel 12 m in 4.0 s. What is the frequency of a buoy bobbing up and down in this water?

Solution

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First, we calculate the velocity of water wave:

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We are given information about wavelength, so we can solve the problem using the following relationship between velocity, wavelength, and frequency:

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