An instrumented ocean buoy bobbing on the surface of deep water registers 12 complete vertical oscillations in a time interval of 3.0min.
(a) Calculate the average period of the water waves responsible for the buoy’s motion, expressing your answer in seconds.
(b) Determine the corresponding wave frequency and express it in millihertz (mHz).
(c) The buoy’s sensor is set to activate an alert whenever it detects waves of frequency 0.010Hz or higher. Based on your calculations, explain whether the alert would be triggered and justify your reasoning.