Question: An earthquake on the ocean floor in the Gulf of Alaska produces a tsunami (sometimes incorrectly called a tidal wave) that reaches Hilo, Hawaii, 4

An earthquake on the ocean floor in the Gulf of Alaska produces a tsunami (sometimes incorrectly called a “tidal wave”) that reaches Hilo, Hawaii, 4 450 km away, in a time interval of 9 h 30 min. Tsunamis have enormous wavelengths (100 to 200 km), and the propagation speed for these waves is v ≈√gd, where is the average depth of the water. From the information given, find the average wave speed and the average ocean depth between Alaska and Hawaii. (This method was used in 1856 to estimate the average depth of the Pacific Ocean long before soundings were made to give a direct determination)

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