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WorksheetsPhysical Science Unit 5 - Waves (Practice)
Total questions: 46
Worksheet time: 45mins
Why is the sky blue?
Because the atmosphere absorbs blue light and reflects the other colors.
Because nitrogen and oxygen scatter blue more than the other colors.
Because the ocean reflects its blue color to the sky.
Because nitrogen and oxygen molecules scatter red and orange away during sunrise, leaving blue for the daytime.
Which wave has the higher frequency?
A
B
Waves can travel through empty space or through a medium. Which statement best describes a medium?
The solid matter that waves travel through.
The gas matter that waves travel through.
The liquid matter that waves travel through.
The solid, liquid, or gas matter that waves travel through.
Mechanical waves cannot be transmitted through a vacuum. Which of the following is NOT a mechanical wave?
Water waves
Seismic waves
Sound waves
Light waves
The maximum distance that the particles of a wave's medium vibrate from their rest position is called:
A. frequency
B. wavelength
C. wave speed
D. amplitude
A phenomenon that occurs when a vibration matches the natural frequency of an object.
A. interference
B. standing wave
C. resonance
D. reflection
The bending of a wave as it passes between two substances at an angle, where the speed of the wave is different.
A. refraction
B. reflection
C. resonance
D. standing wave
The combination of two or more waves that results in a single wave is called:
A. diffraction
B. resonance
C. reflection
D. interference
The bouncing back of a ray of light, sound, or heat when it hits a surface that it does not penetrate.
A. refraction
B. reflection
C. resonance
D. standing wave
When the crests of one wave overlap with the crests of another wave, what occurs?
A. diffraction
B. destructive interference
C. constructive interference
D. resonant frequencies
Gamma rays have the shortest wavelength and therefore the ____ frequency.
lowest
highest
Which of the following has a higher frequency than visible light?
Radio
Microwave
Infrared
X-ray
If all colors of visible light are reflected back to your eyes from a t-shirt, what color will the t-shirt appear?
white
black
red
green
A red shirt appears red because red light is _______ by the shirt.
reflected
absorbed
If you want to change the pitch of a sound, you must change the ___
frequency
amplitude
speed
volume
If a sound has a large amplitude, it will be a ____ sound.
soft
loud
high pitch
low pitch
Sound usually travels fastest through ____.
solids
liquids
gases
empty space
What usually happens when an object absorbs electromagnetic waves?
It bends the object.
It heats the object up.
It causes it to become transparent.
It stays the same.
_____ have the longest wavelengths and the lowest frequencies of all electromagnetic waves.
microwaves
radio waves
gamma rays
ultraviolet
What type of wave is sound?
Loud wave
Transverse wave
Longitudinal wave
Frequency wave
Imagine an ambulance is moving toward you with its siren on. The pitch of the siren as the ambulance moves toward you will appear ______ than if the ambulance were not moving.
the same as
higher than
lower than
Consider the wave equation where wave speed equals frequency times wavelength, or v = f λ.
What is the frequency of a sound wave with a speed of 330 m/s and a wavelength of 0.25 meters?
1320 m/s
82.5 Hz
1320 Hz
82.5 m/s
A wave with a wavelength of 4 m travels at a frequency of 6 Hz. What is its speed?
10 m/s
40 m/s
24 m/s
1.55 m/s
If the frequency of a note is 512 Hz and the speed of sound is 340 m/s at room temperature, what is the wavelength of this sound?
1.5 m
0.66 m
174080 m
340 m
There are four tuning forks in the picture. Which tuning fork produces the highest pitch?
1024 Hz
512 Hz
256 Hz
128 Hz
What type of interference is shown?
Resonance
Constructive Interference
Destructive Interference
Doppler Effect
You see a flash of lightning before you hear the thunder that accompanies it because:
The eye is quicker than the ear.
Thunder occurs much later than lightning.
Sound travels faster through the atmosphere than light.
Light travels faster through the atmosphere than sound.
What is the frequency of a wave with a period of 2 seconds?
2 Hz
0.5 Hz
2 m/s
0.5 m/s
What is the period of a wave with a frequency of 0.25 Hz?
4 s
0.25 s
2 s
1.25 s
The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is always ______ to the angle of reflection.
greater than
less than
equal to
Which of these waves can travel through a vacuum (empty space)?
Sound wave
Radio wave
Longitudinal wave
Water wave
The number of waves produced in a given period of time.
A. amplitude
B. wave speed
C. frequency
D. wavelength
Which of the following waves has the most energy?
Ultraviolet
Visible light
Infrared
Microwave
Car 1 is driving towards a tornado siren at 25 mph, while Car 2 is driving towards the tornado siren at 35 mph. Which car's driver hears a greater change in the siren's frequency?
Car 1
Car 2
Neither driver experiences a change because the siren is not moving.
Both cars experience the same change in frequency because speed doesn't affect the Doppler Effect.
When a piano plays a high-pitched sound, it is most likely hitting a ______ string than when it plays a low-pitched sound.
longer
shorter
To tune a guitar string to a higher pitch, the guitarist should _______ the string.
tighten
loosen
If the frequency of a sound wave doubles, how does its wavelength change?
Twice as long
Half as long
Stays the same because the speed of the wave changes
The image represents ____________.
refraction
diffraction
Doppler effect
resonance
