Physics preAP
Name: _________________
Waves Mixed Problems
True or False #1-#4
1. When a wave moves from more dense to a less dense medium the reflected
wave is not inverted.
2. Electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, which are different from sound
waves, do not require a medium.
3. In transverse waves, the particles of the medium move parallel to the direction
of the wave,
4. When frequency is increased, the wave crests become closer together.
5. A swimmer dips his feet into a pool at a constant rate and produces waves that
move across the pool at 177 m/s and are 10.5 m apart. What is the frequency
of the wave?
6. Captain Kirk beans down to the surface of planet Zortwox at a frequency of
2250 MHz. If the microwaves travel through space at the 3 x 108 m/s, what
would be the period of one of these waves in seconds?
7. What is the wavelength in problem 6?
8. From the diagram to the right identify:
a. Amplitude
b. Wavelength
c. Crest
d. Trough
Use the following waves for questions 9-12
9. Which of the above waves has the largest amplitude?
10. Which of the above waves has the largest frequency?
11. Which of the above waves has the largest wavelength?
12. Which of the above waves has the smallest wavelength?
13. A node can best be described as a place in a wave pattern where
____________________________.
14. What determines the speed of a wave?
15. Increasing the speed of a wave has what effect on the frequency of the wave?
16. Increasing the speed of a wave has what effect on the wavelength of the wave?
17. A standing wave is created by attaching a string to an oscillator at one end and
a hanging weight on the other.
a. What happens to the velocity of the wave if the tension in the string
increases?
b. If you want to increase the number of loops formed on the string do
you add or remove weight to the end of the string? Why?
Match the following choices to 17-21
c. When two waves add to produce a wave that does appear to move
d. When tow pulses combine to produce a pulse of greater amplitude
e. Where two or more waves meet and the displace of the medium is the
sum of the individual displacements
f. When two pulses combine to produce a pulse of less amplitude
g. The effect of two or more waves traveling through a medium
18. Two identical waves moving in opposite directions
19. Describes interference
20. Describes destructive interference
21. Describes the superposition principle
22. Describes constructive interference
Define the following terms
23. Period
24. compression
25. wavelength
26. longitudinal wave
27. node
28. crest
29. trough
30. wave speed
31. antinode
32. amplitude
33. frequency
34. standing wave
35. Sound wave are classified as:
36. What is the difference between frequency and pitch?
37. What are the differences between infrasonic, audible, and ultrasonic sound
waves?
38. Why does the speed of sound depend on the temperature of the medium? Why
is this temperature dependence more noticeable in a gas than in a solid or
liquid?
39. The Doppler effect occurs when
a. A source of sound moves toward a listener.
b. A listener moves toward a source of sound
c. A listener and a source of sound move toward each other
d. All of the above.
40. You are at a street corner and hear an ambulance siren. Without looking, how
can you tell when the ambulance passes by?
41. If the frequency of a sound source is reduced by a factor of 2, what happens
the wavelength? The velocity?
42. A sound wave travels in air at a frequency of 500 Hz. If part of the wave
travels from air into water, does its frequency change? Does its wavelength
change?
43. A fire engine is moving at 40 m/s and sounding its horn. A car in front of the
fire engine is moving a 30 m/s, and a van in front of the car is stationary.
Which observer hears the fire engine’s horn at a higher pitch?
44. If a sound seems to be getting louder, which of the following is probably
increasing?
a. Intensity
b. Frequency
c. Speed of sound
d. Wavelength
45. Under what conditions does resonance occur?
46. Although soldiers are usually required to march together in step, they must
break their march when crossing abridge. Explain the possible danger of
crossing a rickety bridge without taking the precaution.
47. What is fundamental frequency? How are harmonics related to the
fundamental frequency?
48. Why does a pipe closed at one end have a different harmonic series that an
open pipe?
49. What are the first three harmonics of a note produced on a 31 cm long violin
string if the waves on this string have a speed of 274.4 m/s?
50. A pipe that is open at both ends has a fundamental frequency 320 Hz when the
speed of sound in air is 331 m/s.
51. A dolphin in 25° sea water (v=1530 m/s) emits a sound directed toward the
bottom of the ocean 150 m below. How much time passes before the dolphin
hears an echo?
52. If you blow across the open end of a soda bottle a produce a tone of 250 Hz,
what will be frequency of the next harmonic heard if you blow much harder?
53. A train approached a crossing gate at 45 m/s. The gate has a warning bell that
emits a tone of 540 Hz. What frequency does the train conductor hear as he
approaches the crossing? Pass the crossing?