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Echo Sounding (AQA GCSE Physics)
Revision Note
Echo Sounding (HT only)
- Echo sounding uses ultrasound to detect objects underwater
- The sound wave is reflected off the ocean bottom
- The time it takes for the sound wave to return is used to calculate the depth of the water
- The distance the wave travels is twice the depth of the ocean
- This is the distance to the ocean floor plus the distance for the wave to return
Echo sounding is used to determine water depth
Worked example
The sound wave released from a ship took 0.12 seconds to return. The speed of sound in water is 1500 m/s.
What was the depth of the sea?
Step 1: List the known quantities
-
- Wave speed, v = 1500 m/s
- Time, t = 0.12 s
Step 2: Write out the wave speed, distance and time formula
Step 3: Rearrange the equation to make distance (x) the subject
x = v × t
Step 4: Put known values into the equation
x = 1500 × 0.12 = 180 m
Step 5: Half the distance to obtain the depth
d = 180 ÷ 2
Depth, d = 90 m
Examiner Tip
Don't forget to take into account that the sound wave has travelled twice the distance.
You can do this one of two ways:
- Halve the time at the beginning, or
- Halve the distance at the end
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