Waves and Their Applications

Students are modeling waves by shaking a rope up and down. We know this is a wave because–

• the rope is made up of strands of cotton threads which are braided together.

• it has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude.

• the rope stops moving when the students stop shaking it up and down.

• the student can change the distance the rope moves by moving the rope further up or down.

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NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Which of the waves is carrying the greatest amount of energy?

• 
• 
• 
• 

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NGSS.MS-PS4-1

The waves that carry the most energy are the waves that–

• move into a new medium.

• are closest together.

• move the most slowly.

• have the greatest amplitude.

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NGSS.MS-PS4-1

The table below provides simplified data on the relationship between the amplitude of a wave and the energy the wave carries. Based on the pattern in the table, a wave with an amplitude of 4, would carry how much energy?

• 4

• 16

• 32

• 80

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NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Which of the following waves has the highest frequency?

• 
• 
• 
• 

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NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Which of the following provides an example of sound waves being reflected?

• Hearing music being played by a neighbor’s stereo through a wall

• Water in a glass vibrating because of the sound of thunder

• A noise that produces an echo when it bounces off a distant wall

• The sound of a distant train getting louder as it approaches an observer

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Automobile engineers create quieter cars and trucks by designing acoustic glass that–

• transmits sounds.

• reflects sounds.

• absorbs sounds.

• amplifies sounds.

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NGSS.MS-PS4-2

A ringing bell makes noise inside a glass jar. Then the air is removed from the glass jar using a vacuum pump. When all of the air leaves the jar, the sound of the ringing bell can no longer be heard.

Which of the following best explains why the students can no longer hear the bell?

• Removing the air from the jar allows the bell to ring only very softly.

• The air in the jar provides a medium for the sound to travel through.

• The sound in the empty jar is reflected off the inside of the glass sides.

• The difference in pressure inside and outside the glass jar is too great.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Geologists can learn about rock layers beneath the surface of the earth using sound waves. They use a vibration truck to send sound waves into the ground. A measuring truck has special microphones, called geophones that pick up sounds.

This method for learning about rock layers depends on what characteristic of sound waves?

• Sound waves can travel through and reflect off of rock layers.

• Sound waves require energy, such as electricity, to generate them.

• Sound waves can travel for an unlimited distance from the source that creates them.

• Sound waves are absorbed by dense solids and reflect off liquids.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Music studios use “soundproof” recording rooms. The walls of these rooms are designed in such a way that the only sounds that reach the microphones inside the room are sounds from inside the room. The most important characteristic in designing the soundproof room is to create walls that–

• allow communication between people inside and outside the room.

• reflect sounds around the room to alter their properties.

• allow sounds to move easily from one place to another.

• absorb sounds and prevent them from passing through.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

NGSS.MS-PS4-1