Catch a Wave Science Olympiad

A student places a cork upright in a wave tank filled with water. The image shows how a wave ripples across the tank. The cork does not change its position within the wave; instead, it moves up and down in its original position. What can be concluded about mechanical waves from this activity?

• Mechanical waves carry the particles of mediums along with the waves.

• Mechanical waves can move through empty spaces.

• Mechanical waves transfer energy but not matter.

• Mechanical waves do not carry energy.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

A student fixes one end of a Slinky made of coiled wire to a post. The student ties a piece of

ribbon to mark one point on the coiled wire.

The student holds the free end of the Slinky and moves it up and down to generate a single wave pulse.

The diagram shows the movement of the Slinky after the initial pulse. What does the motion of the ribbon represent in the activity?

• When waves travel through a medium, the particles of the medium vibrate but are not

  carried along the wave.

• When waves travel through a medium, the particles of the medium vibrate and are

  carried along the wave.

• When waves travel through a medium, the particles of the medium do not vibrate, and

  they are not carried along the wave.

• When waves travel through a medium, the particles of the medium do not vibrate, but

  they are carried along the wave.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

An undersea earthquake centered 1000 miles off the coast of Hawaii creates a tsunami

headed toward the Hawaiian coast. This tsunami encounters a fishing boat 500 miles from the coast. What will happen to the boat?

• The boat will be lifted up as the wave passes beneath it, and then be pushed many miles away from the coast by the wave trough.

• The boat will bob up and down as the wave passes beneath it, but the wave will not carry the boat either toward or away from shore.

• The tsunami will carry the boat toward the coast for many miles, but because the boat is so large, the wave cannot carry it all the way to shore.

• The tsunami will pick up the boat from its current position and carry the boat on its crest all the way in to the coast.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

The image shows the behavior of three light rays (1, 2, and 3) as they encounter a surface.

Which option correctly identifies the behaviors of the light rays?

• Light ray 1 is absorbed, light ray 2 is refracted, and light ray 3 is reflected.

• Light ray 1 is reflected, light ray 2 is absorbed, and light ray 3 is refracted.

• Light ray 1 is absorbed, light ray 2 is reflected, and light ray 3 is refracted.

• Light ray 1 is refracted, light ray 2 is reflected, and light ray 3 is absorbed.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Which statement is true about a mechanical wave traveling from a water vapor medium into an ice medium?

• The wave will travel faster through the ice than it will through the water vapor.

• The wave will travel faster through the water vapor than it will through the ice.

• The wavelength of the wave will decrease when it enters the ice.

• The amplitude of the wave will increase when it enters the ice.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

The electromagnetic radiation from distant stars and galaxies reaches Earth even though particles cannot travel through the vacuum of space. What explains how this occurs?

• Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to travel through space.

• Electromagnetic waves move quickly enough to travel through space without a medium.

• Electromagnetic waves reflect off of planets’ atmospheres to reach Earth.

• Electromagnetic waves vibrate so quickly that they create their own medium through which they travel.

A student performs an experiment to study how sound waves are transmitted by placing a ringing buzzer inside a bell jar and sealing the jar. The student then connects the bell jar to a vacuum pump to remove the air from inside of the jar. The table shows the student’s observations before and after removing the air from the bell jar.

• Sound waves are transverse waves.

• Sound waves do not carry energy when they are transmitted.

• Sound waves do not transmit through material mediums.

• Sound waves transfer energy through the vibration of particles in mediums.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Two sound waves of different frequencies interfere and produce a resulting waveform shown

with four points (W, X, Y, and Z) marked on the new wave.

• W

• X

• Y

• Z

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

The diagram shows a cartoon of a sound wave produced while a student is speaking. What happens to the sound wave when the student speaks louder?

• The speed will increase.

• The amplitude decreases.

• The amplitude increases.

• The wavelength will double.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Three sound waves labeled 1-3 are created in separate experiments. The diagrams show the waves over the course of two seconds.

Which statement correctly describes the waves produced in the experiments, assuming all of the waves are traveling at the same speed?

• Sound wave 1 is made by a tone of the same frequency and four times the amplitude of sound wave 3.

• Sound wave 2 is made by a tone of lower frequency and twice the amplitude of sound wave 1.

• Sound wave 3 is made by a tone of the same frequency and the same amplitude as sound wave 2.

• Sound wave 3 is made by a tone of higher frequency and the same amplitude as sound

  wave 1.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1