Serway & Jewett — Wave Motion: Problem 44

“The wave” is a particular type of pulse that can propagate through a large crowd gathered at a sports arena (Fig. P16.4). The elements of the medium are the spectators, with zero position corresponding to their being seated and maximum position corresponding to their standing and raising their arms. When a large fraction of the spectators participates in the wave motion, a somewhat stable pulse shape can develop. The wave speed depends on people’s reaction time, which is typically on the order of 0.1 s. Estimate the order of magnitude, in minutes, of the time interval required for such a pulse to make one circuit around a large sports stadium. State the quantities you measure or estimate and their values.