Transverse, longitudinal and sound waves

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Bo stretches a toy spring on the floor and pushes one end in and out. Bunches of coils travel along it. Which type of wave is it?

   • Transverse: the spring wiggles
   • Longitudinal
   • Transverse: the coils move back and forth along it
   • Neither: springs just bounce
3. 2.

   Jun labels a drawing of a wave on a spring. Which letter marks a compression?

   • A
   • B
   • C
4. 3.

   In the same spring drawing, what does letter B mark, Kira?

   Use the picture in question 2.

   • A crest of the wave
   • One wavelength
   • A rarefaction: coils spread apart
   • A compression: coils spread apart
5. 4.

   Luz looks at arrow C in the spring drawing. What does arrow C show?

   Use the picture in question 2.

   • The amplitude
   • The wave's speed
   • Half a wavelength
   • One wavelength
6. 5.

   Milo plays a violin for the class (only slightly squeaky). Which of these is a transverse wave?

   • The sound in the air of the room
   • The wave on the violin string
   • Squeezes of air moving out to the audience
   • A push traveling along a toy spring
7. 6.

   Noah rings a bell at the start of a school play. Which of these is a longitudinal wave?

   • A ripple across the stage curtain
   • The sound of the bell in the air
   • A wave shaken along a rope
   • The light from the stage lamps
8. 7.

   Pia reads about the waves around a sunny lake. Which of these is a transverse wave?

   • A push along a toy spring
   • Sunlight reaching the lake
   • A loon's call moving through the air
   • A whale's call moving through the water
9. 8.

   Ren wonders about the nearly empty space between Earth and the Moon. Can sound travel across it?

   • No: the Moon blocks it
   • Yes, but just as a whisper
   • No: sound needs matter to travel through
   • Yes: sound can cross empty space
10. 9.

    Sunlight crosses space to reach Tala, but no sound from the Sun does. Why not?

    • Light needs no matter; sound does
    • Sunlight blocks the sound
    • Sound is too slow to arrive yet
    • The Sun's sound is just too quiet to hear
11. 10.

    A teacher rings a bell inside a sealed jar and slowly pumps the air out. Zee listens. What happens to the ringing?

    • It gets quieter as the air leaves
    • It stays the same: sound needs no air
    • It gets higher in pitch
    • It gets louder in the empty jar