Transverse and longitudinal waves
Grade 11 Science Worksheet
Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
A seismograph records the S-wave 10 s after the P-wave. In this rock, P-waves travel 6.0 km/s and S-waves 3.5 km/s. How far away is the quake, Ari?
A seismograph records the S-wave 25 s after the P-wave. In this rock, P-waves travel 6.0 km/s and S-waves 3.5 km/s. How far away is the quake, Bo?
A seismograph records the S-wave 15 s after the P-wave. In this rock, P-waves travel 6.0 km/s and S-waves 3.5 km/s. How far away is the quake, Esme?
The tension in a rope is made 4 times as large. Wave speed goes with the square root of tension. The shaking frequency stays the same. What happens to the wavelength, Kira?
- It doubles
- It quadruples
- It halves
- It stays the same
A microphone records the pressure peaks (compressions) of a sound arriving every 2.5 ms. What is the frequency, Milo?
- 4,000 Hz
- 400 Hz
- 40 Hz
- 2.5 Hz
That 400 Hz sound travels in 20 °C air at 343.3 m/s. What is its wavelength, Noah?
- About 0.43 m
- About 0.86 m
- About 1.2 m
The first and eleventh compressions on a slinky are 3.0 m apart. What is the wavelength, Pia?
- 3.0 m
- 0.30 m
- 0.27 m
- 0.33 m
Ren asks why sound cannot be polarized by a filter that polarizes light. Which explanation is right?
- Sound waves have no frequency for a filter to act on
- Sound waves are far too slow to be able to pass through a filter designed to work on light
- Sound waves are already polarized in the air they travel through
- Sound is longitudinal, so it has no sideways direction of vibration to filter
A wave travels right along a rope. At one instant, point P is at the top of a crest. What is the velocity of P at that instant, Tala?
- Up, since the point has just been lifted by the crest approaching it from the left
- Right, at the speed of the wave
- Zero: it is momentarily at rest at its highest point
- Down, since it is about to fall
As a wave passes, where is a point on the rope moving fastest, Zee?
- Everywhere the same, since the wave speed is constant
- At the trough
- At the crest, where the rope is displaced furthest from its rest position
- At the rest position, passing through the middle