You are approaching Chatham Strait from the south in foggy weather. You have Coronation Island and Hazy Islands on the radar. Suddenly the radar malfunctions. You then resort to using whistle echoes to determine your distance off Coronation Island. Your stopwatch reads 16.3 seconds for the echo to be heard. How far are you off Coronation Island?

Question

Accepted Answer

Option B: 1.5 miles. Using the echo-distance formula, distance in yards equals time in seconds multiplied by the speed of sound in water (approx 4700 ft/sec) or air (approx 1080 ft/sec). For air, distance in miles = time in seconds / 10.5. 16.3 / 10.5 equals approximately 1.5 miles.