A tsunami, an ocean wave generated by an earthquake, propagates along the open ocean at 700 km/hr and has a wavelength of 750 km. What is the frequency of the waves in such a tsunami?
A) 0.93 Hz
B) 1.1 Hz
C) 0.00026 Hz
D) 6.8 Hz
E) 0.15 Hz

Question

A tsunami, an ocean wave generated by an earthquake, propagates along the open ocean at 700 km/hr and has a wavelength of  750 km. What is the frequency of the waves in such a tsunami?
A)  0.93 Hz
B)  1.1 Hz
C)  0.00026 Hz
D)  6.8 Hz
E)  0.15 Hz

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The frequency of a wave is calculated by dividing its speed by its wavelength. For this tsunami, the frequency = 700 km/hr / 750 km = 0.9333... km/hr. To convert this to Hz (cycles per second), we need to convert hours to seconds: 0.9333... km/hr * (1 hr / 3600 s) = 0.000259259... Hz, which is approximately 0.00026 Hz.

A Tsunami, an Ocean Wave Generated by an Earthquake, Propagates