Answer to Question #77279 in Physics for Emily

Question

An oceanic depth-sounding vessel surveys the ocean bottom with ultrasonic sound that travels 1530 m/s In seawater and finds a 6 second time delay of the echo to the ocean floor and back. Calculate the ocean floor depth.

Answer 1

We can find the ocean floor depth from the formula:
d=vt,
here, d is the distance from the vessel to the ocean floor (or the depth), v=1530 m⁄s is the velocity of the ultrasonic sound, t=t_echo⁄2 is the time that the ultrasonic sound needs to reach the ocean floor, t_echo=6 s is the time that the ultrasonic sound needs to reach the ocean floor and return back to the vessel.
Then, from this formula we can find the ocean floor depth:
d=vt=v t_echo/2=1530 m/s∙(6 s)/2=4590 m.