Waves Through a Medium

Suppose a mechanical wave is traveling through medium A. When the wave enters medium B, it speeds up. Which of the following statements can be true about medium A and medium B?

• Medium A is a solid and medium B is a gas

• Medium A is a liquid and medium B is a solid.

• Medium A is a gas and medium B is a vacuum.

• Medium A is a vacuum and medium B is a liquid.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

What is the term for the distance from the highest part of one wave to the highest part of the next wave?

• period

• frequency

• amplitude

• wavelength

Caleb is at the beach. He counts the number of wave peaks that pass a given point on the beach in a certain amount of time. What property of waves does Caleb measure?

• speed

• frequency

• amplitude

• wavelength

Carlos is studying electromagnetic waves. He finds a diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum shown below, but it is missing a label. What is the proper label of the unlabeled region?

• radar

• television

• visible light

• cosmic rays

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

An earthquake sends out mechanical waves in all directions from its source. In answering the following question, assume the wave starts carrying energy equally in all directions. The wavefront reaches each of the different locations as shown in the diagram.

At which location does a point on the wavefront have the LEAST energy?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

In which direction do longitudinal waves travel?

• They travel in random directions.

• They travel around in a circular motion.

• They travel parallel to the direction of the disturbance.

• They travel perpendicular to the direction of the disturbance.

Through which medium does a mechanical wave travel most quickly?

• solid

• liquid

• less dense gas

• very dense gas

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

What is the speed of a wave with a wavelength of 4 cm and a frequency of 8 hertz?

• 0.5 cm/s

• 2 cm/s

• 12 cm/s

• 32 cm/s

A wave passes through a medium. The particles in the medium change their position. Which statement best describes how the position of a particle changes as the wave progresses?

• The particle moves in one direction, then the opposite, and returns to its original position.

• The particle moves perpendicular to the direction of the wave into a new position

• The particle moves parallel with the direction of the wave into a new position.

• The particle vibrates continually around its original position.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

The graph below shows the speeds of three different waves traveling in both air and water. What evidence suggests that wave II is a mechanical wave?

• Mechanical waves cannot pass through solids, which is why the data are missing

• Mechanical waves do not travel faster than 5,000 m/s.

• Wave II lacks the amplitudes of wave I.

• Its speed differs depending on the medium.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2