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

   Esme plucks a guitar string. Each bit of string moves side to side while the wave runs along the string. Which type of wave is on the string?

   • Longitudinal: the bits move side to side
   • Longitudinal: the wave runs along the string
   • Transverse
   • A sound wave in air
4. 3.

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

   • C
   • A
   • B
5. 4.

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

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • A rarefaction: coils spread apart
   • A crest of the wave
   • One wavelength
   • A compression: coils spread apart
6. 5.

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

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • Half a wavelength
   • One wavelength
   • The amplitude
   • The wave's speed
7. 6.

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

   • Squeezes of air moving out to the audience
   • A push traveling along a toy spring
   • The sound in the air of the room
   • The wave on the violin string
8. 7.

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

   • A wave shaken along a rope
   • A ripple across the stage curtain
   • The sound of the bell in the air
   • The light from the stage lamps
9. 8.

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

   • A loon's call moving through the air
   • Sunlight reaching the lake
   • A whale's call moving through the water
   • A push along a toy spring
10. 9.

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

    • No: sound needs matter to travel through
    • No: the Moon blocks it
    • Yes: sound can cross empty space
    • Yes, but just as a whisper
11. 10.

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

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