A ripple tank generates continuous straight water waves that propagate the full 4.00 m length of the tank before being absorbed at the far barrier. A stroboscopic light freezes the pattern at an instant when the distance between successive crests is measured to be 0.250 m.
(a) Determine the total number of complete wavelengths that simultaneously occupy the 4.00 m length of the tank at that instant.
(b) The wave generator is known to operate at a fixed frequency of 6.0 Hz. Calculate the speed of the water waves.
(c) Using your answer from part (b), compute the time it takes for a single crest to travel the entire 4.00 m length of the tank.