A manufacturer tests two wave-monitoring systems.
The first system uses a camera to record straight wavefronts in a shallow-water channel. The wave generator operates at 10 Hz.
| Camera measurement | Distance across 6 wavelengths in m\text{m}m |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.120 |
| 2 | 0.126 |
| 3 | 0.123 |
The second system uses two electronic pickups attached to a steel rail. A vibration pulse travels along the rail from the first pickup to the second pickup.
| Measurement | Result |
|---|---|
| Distance between pickups | 1.50 m |
| Time delay, test 1 | 0.30 ms |
| Time delay, test 2 | 0.31 ms |
| Time delay, test 3 | 0.29 ms |
An installer suggests using a metre rule and a handheld stopwatch to check the systems. A wavefront would be timed across 0.50 m of the water channel. A vibration pulse would be timed across 2.00 m of the rail.
Explain whether handheld timing could provide a useful check of each monitoring system.
Use the measurements to determine both wave speeds and predict the time taken for each wave to travel across the proposed distance.