Serway & Jewett — Wave Motion: Problem 28

A rescue plane flies horizontally at a constant speed searching for a disabled boat. When the plane is directly above the boat, the boat’s crew blows a loud horn. By the time the plane’s sound detector receives the horn’s sound, the plane has traveled a distance equal to half its altitude above the ocean. Assuming it takes the sound 2.00 s to reach the plane, determine (a) the speed of the plane and (b) its altitude.