Transverse, longitudinal and sound waves

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari presses an ear to a long steel railing while a friend taps the far end. Two taps are heard: one through the steel, one through the air. Which comes first?

   • The tap through the air, as air is easy to push
   • The tap through the air, as it is louder
   • Both together: sound has one speed
   • The tap through the steel
2. 2.

   Sound travels about 1,480 m/s in fresh water and 343 m/s in 20 °C air. About how long does sound take to cross 3,000 m of lake water, Bo?

   • About 9 s
   • About 4,400 s
   • About 2 s
   • About 0.5 s
3. 3.

   Sound crosses 343 m of 20 °C air in about 1 s. Steel carries sound at about 5,900 to 6,000 m/s. About how long do 343 m of steel take, Esme?

   • About 17 s
   • About 0.06 s
   • About 1 s
   • About 0.6 s
4. 4.

   Jun plays a 343 Hz note near a pool, and the sound passes from the air into the water. Which property of the sound stays the same?

   • Its wavelength
   • Its speed
   • Its frequency
   • Nothing: sound cannot enter water
5. 5.

   Luz hears a sound pass from the water back into the air. What happens to its wavelength?

   • It gets shorter, as sound slows down
   • It gets longer, as air is easier to move through
   • It drops to zero
   • It stays the same
6. 6.

   Milo says sound in air must be a transverse wave, because books draw it as a wiggly line. Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: waves are transverse
   • Disagree: the air moves along the path
   • Disagree: sound is not a wave
   • Agree: the wiggle shows air moving up and down
7. 7.

   Noah says the sound from a speaker pushes the same air all the way across the room to your ear. Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: louder sounds carry more air along
   • Agree: the air flows to your ear like a breeze
   • Disagree: the air stays; the energy travels
   • Disagree: sound needs no air
8. 8.

   Ren chooses a model to show sound moving through air. Which model fits best?

   • A rope wiggling up and down
   • Balls of air rolling from speaker to ear
   • A spring with bunched and spread coils
   • A single still dot
9. 9.

   Tala chooses a model to show light from a lamp. Light is an electromagnetic wave. Which model fits best?

   • A spring standing still
   • Air particles carrying the light along
   • Bunched and spread coils along the path
   • A wiggle across the direction of travel
10. 10.

    Zee moves a toy spring side to side, then pushes it along its length. Which pair names the two waves, in order?

    • Both longitudinal: it is a spring
    • Longitudinal, then transverse
    • Both transverse: the spring moves each time
    • Transverse, then longitudinal