Understanding Waves: Light and Sound

What is true about both light and sound?

• They both travel as waves.

• Both light and sound are mechanical waves.

• Sound travels through space, but light cannot.

• Both light and sound require a medium to travel through.

What is the main difference between light and sound waves?

• Light waves are mechanical waves, while sound waves are electromagnetic waves.

• Sound waves travel in straight lines, while light waves spread out in all directions.

• Sound waves travel faster than light waves.

• Sound waves require matter to travel, while light waves do not.

What type of wave is a sound wave?

• Water wave

• Electromagnetic wave

• Longitudinal wave

• Transverse wave

What is an example of a transverse wave?

• Light wave

• A wave moving forward and back

• Sound wave

• Water wave

What is the amplitude of a wave?

• The time it takes for one wave to pass

• The distance between two wave peaks

• The number of waves that pass a point in one second

• The height of the wave, from the resting point to the peak

How is wavelength defined?

• The height of the wave from its resting point

• The distance between two peaks of a wave

• The time it takes for one wave to travel a distance

• The number of waves that pass a point in one second

What does the frequency of a wave measure?

• How many waves pass a point in one second

• How far apart the peaks are

• How long it takes for one wave to pass a point

• How tall the wave is

What happens when the amplitude of a wave increases?

• The wave’s speed decreases.

• The wave becomes taller (higher).

• The wave becomes shorter.

• The frequency decreases.

If the wavelength of a wave gets longer, what happens to the frequency?

• The frequency increases.

• The frequency becomes zero.

• The frequency stays the same.

• The frequency decreases.

Which of the following is true about a wave with a high frequency?

• It has a long wavelength.

• It has a small amplitude.

• It has a short wavelength.

• It moves more slowly.