Understanding Waves

What is the primary difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves?

• Mechanical waves require a medium to travel through, while electromagnetic waves do not.

• Neither requires a medium to travel through.

• Electromagnetic waves require a medium to travel through, while mechanical waves do not.

• Both require a medium to travel through.

Which of the following is an example of a mechanical wave?

• Ultraviolet light

• Sound waves

• Radio waves

• X-rays

What is unique about electromagnetic waves compared to mechanical waves?

• They cannot travel through air.

• They require a solid medium.

• They can travel through a vacuum.

• They are slower than mechanical waves.

In a transverse wave, how do the particles of the medium move relative to the wave direction?

• They do not move

• Perpendicular to the wave direction

• Parallel to the wave direction

• In a circular motion

What is the term for the highest point of a transverse wave?

• Amplitude

• Wavelength

• Crest

• Trough

How do particles move in a longitudinal wave?

• In a circular motion

• Perpendicular to the wave direction

• Parallel to the wave direction

• They do not move

What is the term for a single disturbance that travels through a medium?

• Wave pulse

• Amplitude

• Crest

• Trough

What does the amplitude of a wave represent?

• The distance between two crests

• The height of the wave from its rest position

• The speed of the wave

• The number of waves passing a point per second

How is the frequency of a wave defined?

• The height of the wave from its rest position

• The distance between two consecutive crests

• The number of waves passing a point per second

• The time taken for one wave to pass a point

If a wave has a frequency of 262 Hz and a wavelength of 1.29 meters, what is its speed?

• 262 m/s

• 338 m/s

• 523 m/s

• 1.29 m/s