PencilGo

Grade 11 · Science · Physics

11th grade Transverse and longitudinal waves worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version
Print

Transverse and longitudinal waves

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

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

  1. Ari moves a rope's end up and down 6 times in 4 s, making waves of wavelength 0.8 m. How fast do the waves travel?

  2. Bo moves a rope's end up and down 10 times in 8 s, making waves of wavelength 0.6 m. How fast do the waves travel?

  3. A wave crest travels right along a rope. Point P is on the flat rope just ahead of the crest. Which way will P move next, Jun?

    • It will not move
    • Right, with the wave
    • Down
    • Up

  4. The crest has just passed point P and moves on to the right. Which way does P move now, Kira?

    • Left, back toward the start
    • Right, with the crest
    • Down
    • Up

  5. A cork floats on a water wave moving right. Over one full wave cycle, where does the cork end up, Luz?

    • One wavelength to the right
    • Half a wavelength to the right
    • One amplitude higher
    • Back where it started

  6. Light passes through one polarizing filter, but a second filter turned 90° blocks it. What does this show, Milo?

    • Light waves need a material to travel through, like a rope
    • Light waves vibrate sideways to the direction they travel: they are transverse
    • Light waves carry matter along with the energy
    • Light waves vibrate along the direction they travel, like sound

  7. S-waves from an earthquake do not pass through Earth's liquid outer core, but P-waves do. What does this suggest about S-waves, Noah?

    • They are transverse: a liquid cannot carry a sideways shear
    • They are longitudinal, like sound in a liquid
    • They are electromagnetic, and liquids block those
    • They are faster than P-waves, so they skip the core

  9. What is the wavelength of the rope wave in the snapshot, Ren?

    • 0.8 m
    • 0.4 m
    • 1.0 m
    • 1.6 m

  10. What is the amplitude of the rope wave in the snapshot, Tala?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • 6 cm
    • 3 cm
    • 0.2 cm
    • 1.5 cm

  11. How many full wavelengths are on the 2.0 m of rope in the snapshot, Zee?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • 3
    • 5
    • 2.5
    • 2
PencilGopencilgo.com

11th grade Transverse and longitudinal waves worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

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

What your child will learn

  • I can find wave speed from shakes in a time and the wavelength, and a rope point's greatest speed from 2πfA.
  • I can say which way a rope point moves as a crest approaches and passes, and where it is fastest or still.
  • I can use evidence (polarization, S-waves in a liquid core, sound in a jar) to decide whether a wave is transverse or longitudinal.
  • I can read a wave snapshot, use P- and S-wave arrival gaps to find distance, and judge claims about water waves, energy and amplitude.

Standard: supports HS-PS4-1

Words to know

transverse wave: The medium moves at right angles to the wave's direction

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

compression: A region where particles are crowded together

rarefaction: A region where particles are spread apart

medium: The material a mechanical wave travels through

period: Time for one full oscillation: 1 ÷ frequency

S-wave: An earthquake wave that shears the ground sideways; it cannot cross a liquid

P-wave: An earthquake wave of compressions along its path; it crosses solids and liquids

Common mistakes

Your child multiplied the number of shakes by the wavelength. Wave speed needs the shakes each second, the frequency.

Your child divided time by shakes, which is the period. Wave speed uses the frequency, shakes ÷ time.

Your child used only the P-wave speed. The gap in arrival times comes from both speeds.

Questions parents ask

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

Your child multiplied the number of shakes by the wavelength. Wave speed needs the shakes each second, the frequency.

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.

More physics

See all Physics

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records

Ready for easier practice?

Print a sheet, scan it when it’s done, and PencilGo picks the next one.

Create a free account