Name:______________________
Mr. Wilson’s Regents Physics
Worksheet – Mechanical Waves Review
1.
Match the following terms to their correct definitions
amplitude _______
wavelength _______
frequency _______
period _______
A. Distance between two crests on a wave.
B.
A point on a standing wave that is in a perpetual state of destructive
interference.
C.
Time that it takes for an oscillation to occur.
D. The selective filtering of waves whose particles move in a specific direction.
E.
Waves that travel by causing particles to vibrate parallel to the direction of
wave travel.
F.
A wave that is produced by a combination of reflection and interference.
transverse wave _______
longitudinal wave _______
G. A state that is reached by vibrating a medium at its natural frequency.
mechanical wave _______
medium _______
H. The bending of wave fronts when moving between two mediums of different
density or speed.
I.
Waves that travel by causing particles to oscillate perpendicular to the direction
of wave travel.
J.
The height of a wave above equilibrium – relates directly to the energy
contained in the wave.
K.
A continuous collection of particles of the same type.
L.
The number of times that an oscillation repeats in one second – measured in
hertz (Hz).
polarization _______
pulse _______
interference _______
anti-node _______
refraction _______
M. A single vibratory disturbance of a medium.
diffraction _______
N. An interaction between pulses or waves that meet as they travel toward one
another in a medium.
Doppler Effect _______
resonance _______
standing wave _______
node _______
reflection _______
O. A wave that requires a medium through which to travel.
P.
The bending of waves around corners or barriers – understood using Huygen’s
Principle.
Q. An apparent change in the frequency of a source of waves due to the motion of
the source or observer.
R.
A point on a standing wave that experiences maximum displacement.
S.
This occurs when waves encounter boundaries and also when waves pass into
new mediums.
2.
Match the term to the picture that best describes the phenomenon.
A.
reflection _______
refraction _______
B.
diffraction _______
Doppler Effect _______
standing wave _______
polarization _______
C.
interference _______
D.
E.
F.
G.
3.
A swimmer at the beach notices that three wave crests pass a certain point every 10.0 seconds. She also notes that each
wave crest is about 2.0 meters apart.
a.
What is the period of the wave that the swimmer is observing?
[3.3 s]
b.
What is the frequency of the wave that the swimmer is observing?
[0.3 Hz]
c.
What is the speed of the waves that the swimmer is observing?
[0.6 m/s]
4.
A submarine trying to detect an enemy destroyer notes that a sonar signal sent through the water returns 0.40 seconds
after it was sent. The frequency of the sonar used by the submarine is 20 kilo-hertz. The speed of sound in sea water is 1.56
3
x 10 meters per second.
a.
How far away is the destroyer?
[66.2 m]
b.
The sonar computers receive a reflection from the destroyer at a frequency of 19 kilo-hertz. What useful
information about the motion of the destroyer does this mean the computer can report?
[Explain]
c.
Which wave phenomenon does the computer use to make this analysis? ___________________________
Waves A, B, and C all travel 12.0 meters in 2.0 seconds through the medium shown below.
5.
Determine the speed, frequency, period, wavelength, and amplitude of each wave.
Wave
Speed (m/s)
Freq. (Hz)
Period (s)
Wavelength
(m)
Amplitude (m)
A
B
C
6.
A periodic wave moves through medium A with speed v. The wave passes with all of its energy into medium B. The speed
of the wave in medium B is v/2. Draw at least two complete cycles of the wave once it enters medium B.
7.
The diagram below represents a transverse wave A traveling through a uniform medium. On the diagram draw a new
wave with twice the amplitude and half of the frequency of the wave A.
A periodic wave traveling in a uniform medium has a wavelength of 0.080 meter, an
amplitude of 0.040 meter, and a frequency of 5.0 hertz.
8.
On the grid above, starting at point A, sketch a graph of at least one complete cycle of the wave, showing its amplitude and
period.
9.
Determine the speed of the wave.