# ping a host with a total count of 15 packets overall.    
ping -c 15 www.example.com

# ping a host with a total count of 15 packets overall, one every .5 seconds (faster ping). 
ping -c 15 -i .5 www.example.com

# test if a packet size of 1500 bytes is supported (to check the MTU for example)
ping -s 1500 -c 10 -M do www.example.com