Waves Pre-Test (Updated 2026)

What does amplitude describe in a wave?

• The distance between two waves

• The height of a wave from rest to crest

• How fast the wave moves

• The number of waves per second

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

In a longitudinal wave, what is a compression?

• Where particles are spread far apart

• The highest point of a wave

• Where particles are pushed close together

• The place where a wave bends

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

What is the crest of a wave?

• The lowest point of a wave

• The distance between two waves

• The highest point of a wave

• Where particles are closest together

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Which statement best describes an electromagnetic wave?

• It needs water or air to travel

• It only moves through solids

• It can travel through space without a medium

• It only moves back and forth

What does frequency measure?

• The height of a wave

• The number of waves that pass a point in a given time

• The speed of a wave

• The distance between two crests

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

What is hertz (Hz) used to measure?

• Speed

• Wavelength

• Frequency

• Energy

In a longitudinal wave, how do particles move?

• Up and down

• Side to side

• Back and forth in the same direction as the wave

• In circles

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

Which statement describes a mechanical wave?

• It can travel through empty space

• It does not need energy

• It requires a medium to travel

• It only moves light

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

What is a medium?

• The speed of a wave

• The material a wave travels through

• The height of a wave

• The bending of a wave

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

In a transverse wave, how do particles move?

• Back and forth in the same direction

• In circles

• Perpendicular to the direction of the wave

• Only forward

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1