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8th grade Transverse, longitudinal and sound waves worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Transverse, longitudinal and sound waves

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Ari ties a long rope to a post and shakes the free end up and down. A wave runs along the rope. Which type of wave is it?

    • Neither type
    • Longitudinal: each bit moves up and down
    • Transverse
    • Longitudinal: the wave moves along the rope

  2. 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?

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

  3. 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?

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

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

    • A
    • C
    • B

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

    Use the picture in question 4.

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

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

    Use the picture in question 4.

    • The wave's speed
    • The amplitude
    • One wavelength
    • Half a wavelength

  8. 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

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

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

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

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

  11. 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
    • Light needs no matter; sound does
    • Sunlight blocks the sound
    • Sound is too slow to arrive yet
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8th grade Transverse, longitudinal and sound waves worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Transverse, longitudinal and sound waves. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell a transverse wave (the material moves across the wave's path) from a longitudinal wave (it moves back and forth along the path).
  • I can label compressions, rarefactions and one wavelength on a spring wave.
  • I can explain that sound needs a medium, is longitudinal in air and water, and travels faster in water and steel than in air.

Standard: supports MS-PS4-1, MS-PS4-2

Words to know

transverse wave: The material moves across the direction the wave travels

longitudinal wave: The material moves back and forth along the wave's direction

compression: A place where the coils or particles are bunched together

rarefaction: A place where the coils or particles are spread apart

medium: The matter a wave travels through, such as air, water or steel

mechanical wave: A wave that needs a medium, like sound or a rope wave

Common mistakes

Your child named the wave type from where the wave goes, not from how the material moves. Shake a rope up and down together and watch one spot.

Your child swapped the names transverse and longitudinal. Say it together: transverse goes across, longitudinal goes along the length.

Your child pictured sound in air as an up-and-down wiggle. In air and water, sound is squeezes and spreads of particles along its path.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with transverse, longitudinal and sound waves?

Your child named the wave type from where the wave goes, not from how the material moves. Shake a rope up and down together and watch one spot.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 8 science

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