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Grade 11 · Science · Physics

11th grade Reflection, refraction and diffraction of waves worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Reflection, refraction and diffraction of waves

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Light of wavelength 600 nm in air enters glass with refractive index 1.5. Its frequency does not change. What is its wavelength in the glass, Ari?

  2. Light of wavelength 660 nm in air enters glass with refractive index 1.2. Its frequency does not change. What is its wavelength in the glass, Bo?

  3. Light of wavelength 700 nm in air enters glass with refractive index 1.4. Its frequency does not change. What is its wavelength in the glass, Esme?

  4. A 500 Hz tone passes from air into water, where sound travels 4.3 times faster. What happens to its wavelength, Jun?

    • It stays the same, since the source is the same
    • It becomes about 4.3 times shorter
    • It becomes about 4.3 times longer and the frequency rises to match
    • It becomes about 4.3 times longer

  5. A water wave moves from deep water into shallow water and slows down. Which quantity stays the same, Kira?

    • Its speed
    • Its wavelength
    • Its frequency
    • Its wavelength and its speed

  6. A ray hits a plane mirror at 25° to the surface. What angle is there between the incoming ray and the reflected ray, Noah?

    • 25°
    • 130°
    • 50°
    • 65°

  7. A mirror is turned by 10° while the incoming ray stays fixed. By how much does the reflected ray turn, Pia?

    • 5°
    • 10°
    • 20°
    • 40°

  8. Ren stands between two walls and claps. Echoes return after 0.20 s and 0.50 s. Sound travels at 343.3 m/s. How far apart are the walls?

    • About 51 m
    • About 240 m
    • About 120 m
    • About 60 m

  9. A boat's sonar pulse returns after 0.080 s in water, where sound travels at 1481 m/s. How deep is the water, Tala?

    • About 30 m
    • About 59 m
    • About 118 m
    • About 14 m

  10. An echo is heard separately only if it returns at least 0.10 s after the clap. What is the least distance to the wall in 343.3 m/s air, Zee?

    • About 8.6 m
    • About 17 m
    • About 34 m
    • About 3.4 m
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11th grade Reflection, refraction and diffraction of waves worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Reflection, refraction and diffraction. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can find a wavelength in a new material from its refractive index, and say what stays the same (frequency) and what changes (speed, wavelength) at a boundary.
  • I can use the law of reflection from the normal, and the angle between rays and the turning of a mirror.
  • I can use Snell's law and the critical angle, and decide between refraction and total internal reflection.
  • I can compare a wavelength with a gap or an obstacle to judge how much a wave diffracts, and use echoes and sonar with the there-and-back halving.

Standard: supports HS-PS4-1

Words to know

reflection: A wave bouncing off a surface

refraction: A wave changing direction as its speed changes at a boundary

diffraction: A wave spreading out through a gap or around an edge

normal: A line at right angles to a surface, where angles are measured from

wave front: A line joining neighboring crests, seen from above

refractive index (n): How many times slower light is in a material than in air

critical angle: Smallest angle from the normal at which light inside is totally reflected

total internal reflection: All the light bounces back inside the denser material

Common mistakes

Your child multiplied the wavelength by the refractive index. Light is slower in glass, so its wavelength gets shorter: divide.

Your child gave the whole there-and-back trip. An echo travels to the wall and back, so the wall is half of speed × time away.

Your child measured an angle from the surface. The angles of incidence and refraction are measured from the normal, at 90° to the surface.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with reflection, refraction and diffraction of waves?

Your child multiplied the wavelength by the refractive index. Light is slower in glass, so its wavelength gets shorter: divide.

Are these 11th 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.

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