Math Help - Wavelength problem.

1. Wavelength problem.

I have only a vague idea of what to do with this question, and I suspect that I may be going in the wrong direction.
----------------------------------------
Olympic swimmers can swim at a speed of 1.7m/s. If an Olympic swimmer were swimming in the ocean on a day when the wave length of the waves was 20m and the frequency was 1 Hz, would the swimmer be able to swim fast enough to avoid being lifted by the wave? Show your calculations.

Um...yea...I'm a little bamboozled about where to start.
I know that the wave length means the distance between crests, and that the frequency is a little slower than the speed of the swimmer, but that is the extent of my understanding...

2. Sounds like you need to know some Quantum Mechanics. I learned some of this from my Chemistry class.

Here's a few helpful things, though:

Wavelength = speed of light/frequency

Frequency = speed of light/wavelength

Speed of a wave = Frequency x Velocity

1 HZ = 1 cycle/s

Speed of light = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s

3. Originally Posted by MathBlaster47
I have only a vague idea of what to do with this question, and I suspect that I may be going in the wrong direction.
----------------------------------------
Olympic swimmers can swim at a speed of 1.7m/s. If an Olympic swimmer were swimming in the ocean on a day when the wave length of the waves was 20m and the frequency was 1 Hz, would the swimmer be able to swim fast enough to avoid being lifted by the wave? Show your calculations.

Um...yea...I'm a little bamboozled about where to start.
I know that the wave length means the distance between crests, and that the frequency is a little slower than the speed of the swimmer, but that is the extent of my understanding...

Use the well known formula: $v_{\text{wave}} = f \lambda$.

Originally Posted by A Beautiful Mind
Sounds like you need to know some Quantum Mechanics. I learned some of this from my Chemistry class.

Here's a few helpful things, though:

Wavelength = speed of light/frequency

Frequency = speed of light/wavelength

Speed of a wave = Frequency x Velocity *

1 HZ = 1 cycle/s

Speed of light = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s
Sorry but QM and light are irrelevant to the question. (And the line I marked with * is not correct). The simple formula I quoted (valid for all waves) is all that is required.

4. Ah....Well...I feel a smidgen silly now!
But I have learned so all is well.
Thank you both very much for your help!

5. Originally Posted by MathBlaster47
I have only a vague idea of what to do with this question, and I suspect that I may be going in the wrong direction.
----------------------------------------
Olympic swimmers can swim at a speed of 1.7m/s. If an Olympic swimmer were swimming in the ocean on a day when the wave length of the waves was 20m and the frequency was 1 Hz, would the swimmer be able to swim fast enough to avoid being lifted by the wave? Show your calculations.

Um...yea...I'm a little bamboozled about where to start.
I know that the wave length means the distance between crests, and that the frequency is a little slower than the speed of the swimmer, but that is the extent of my understanding...