Posted by T.Gracken on November 06, 2002 at 13:09:19:
In Reply to: Distance posted by Randy on November 06, 2002 at 12:26:18:
: A worker is at one end of an iron pipeline. An accidental blast has occured at the other end. Sound travels in the air at 273.1 m/s and in the iron at 5200 m/s. The sounds are heard 4.33 seconds apart. How long is the pipeline?
: Please show step by step. Thank you for your help.
recall that (for uniform motion), rate times time = distance.
or in symbols: r*t=d
NOTE! this formula can also be written t = d/r (that is, time equals distance over rate)
Suppose we use d for the length of the pipeline.
Then the time it takes for the sound in air to reach the end of the pipe is d/273.1
And, the time it takes for the sound in iron to reach the end of the pipe is d/5200
since there is 4.33 seconds of time between the two sounds, we can conclude that
the sound in air takes 4.33 seconds longer than the sound in iron to reach the end.
so time it takes for sound in air = time it takes for sound in iron + 4.33
or (in math): d/273.1 = d/5200 + 4.33
solve for d (you do the steps)
to get d = 1248.071 m.