To determine the frequency of a wave when given the period, you can use the relationship between the period \(T\) and frequency \(f\), which is given by the formula:
[tex]\[ f = \frac{1}{T} \][/tex]
Given:
- The period \(T\) of the wave is 18 seconds.
First, substitute the value of the period into the formula:
[tex]\[ f = \frac{1}{18} \][/tex]
Next, perform the division to find the frequency:
[tex]\[ f = 0.05555555555555555 \text{ hertz} \][/tex]
To express this frequency in scientific notation, we recognize that \(0.05555555555555555\) can be approximated to \(5.6 \times 10^{-2}\) hertz.
Finally, match this result to the correct answer choice. The given options are:
A. \(6.6 \times 10^{-2}\) hertz
B. \(5.5 \times 10^{-2}\) hertz
C. \(3.3 \times 10^{-2}\) hertz
D. \(1.8 \times 10^{-2}\) hertz
E. \(8.0 \times 10^{-3}\) hertz
The correct answer is:
B. [tex]\(5.5 \times 10^{-2}\)[/tex] hertz