A ship uses a sonar device to determine the depth of the ocean floor. A sound pulse sent v… — JAMB UTME

A ship uses a sonar device to determine the depth of the ocean floor. A sound pulse sent vertically downward reflects off the seabed and is detected $0.6\text{ s}$ after transmission. If the speed of sound in seawater is $1500\text{ m/s}$ , what is the depth of the ocean floor at that location?

$450\text{ m}$ Answer
B
$900\text{ m}$
C
$1800\text{ m}$
D
$2500\text{ m}$

Answer

450\text{ m}

The correct answer is

450\text{ m}

because sound travels to the ocean floor and back, covering twice the actual depth. Dividing the total distance of

900\text{ m}

2

yields the one-way depth of

450\text{ m}

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate the total distance traveled by the sound wave

d_{\text{total}} = 1500\text{ m/s} \times 0.6\text{ s} = 900\text{ m}

Total distance traveled by the wave equals speed multiplied by total elapsed time.

Determine the one-way depth of the ocean floor

\text{Depth} = \frac{d_{\text{total}}}{2} = \frac{900\text{ m}}{2} = 450\text{ m}

An echo travels down to the seabed and back to the receiver, so the ocean depth is half the total distance covered.

Key Concept

Echo distance calculation

Estimated Time:45s

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