Question

Imagine a Rip-van-Winkle type who lives in the mountains. Just before going to sleep he yells "WAKE UP" and the sound echoes off the nearest mountain and returns 8 hours later.
How far away is that mountain? The speed of sound is __ m/s.

Answer 1

Answer:

4939200 m

Explanation:

v = Velocity of sound in air = 343 m/s (general value)

For the echo to reach Rip van Winkle it must cover the distance to the mountain twice. So, time taken for the sound traveling to the mountain once

$t=\dfrac{8}{2}=4\ hr$

Distance is given by

$s=vt\\\Rightarrow s=343\times 4\times 60\times 60\\\Rightarrow s=4939200\ m=4939.2\ km$

The distance to the mountain is 4939200 m