Find the speed of an ocean wave whose displacement is given by the equation y=3.7 cos(2.2 x-5.6 t) where x and y are in meters and t is in seconds.
A) 2.5 m/s
B) 1.9 m/s
C) 4.5 m/s
D) 3.5 m/s

Question

Find the speed of an ocean wave whose displacement is given by the equation  y=3.7 cos(2.2 x-5.6 t)  where  x  and  y  are in meters and  t  is in seconds.
A)  2.5 m/s
B)  1.9 m/s
C)  4.5 m/s
D)  3.5 m/s

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The speed of the wave can be found by dividing the coefficient of $t$ by the coefficient of $x$ in the wave equation, which gives $5.6 / 2.2 = 2.545$, rounding to $2.5$ m/s.

Find the Speed of an Ocean Wave Whose Displacement Is