Types of Waves Review Quiz

A person sitting on a pier observes a set of incoming waves that have a distance of 1.6 m between the crests. What wave characteristic is the person observing?

• wavelength

• period

• frequency

• amplitude

A person sitting on a pier observes a set of incoming waves. A wave crest hits the pier every 5 seconds. What wave characteristic is the person observing?

• wavelength

• period

• frequency

• amplitude

Which of the following statements describes a difference between an electromagnetic wave and a mechanical wave?

• An electromagnetic wave always travels more slowly than a mechanical wave.

• An electromagnetic wave can travel in a vacuum, and a mechanical wave can not.

• An electromagnetic wave is a longitudinal wave, and a mechanical wave is not.

• An electromagnetic wave always has a lower frequency than a mechanical wave.

A wave travels at 10 m/s with a wavelength of 2 m. What is the frequency of the wave?

• 5 Hz

• 0.5 Hz

• 0.2 Hz

• 20 Hz

Which of the following statements describes the motion of air particles as a sound wave moves across a room?

• The air particles move in circles inside the sound wave.

• The air molecules move up and down, perpendicular to the direction of the sound wave.

• The air particles move back and forth, parallel to the direction of the sound wave.

• The air molecules move across the room with the sound wave.

Which of the following types of waves is longitudinal?

• light wave

• microwave

• radio wave

• sound wave

A large rock from space hit the surface of the Moon. Why were humans able to see the bright flash that occurred but unable to hear the sound of the impact?

• The high-energy sound waves were absorbed by the Moon’s surface, and were converted into light waves.

• The low-energy sound waves were scattered by dust particles, but the high-energy light waves were not.

• The sound waves arrived at Earth much later than the light waves, so they were not perceived as coming from the Moon.

• The sound waves required a medium for travel, but the light waves did not.

The Sun produces visible light with different wavelengths. As the wavelengths become longer, which of the following properties of the waves decreases?

• amplitude

• frequency

• period

• speed

Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun can cause sunburn, but sitting in a classroom under visible light will not. This is because ultraviolet radiation waves have more energy than visible light waves.

Which of the following explains why ultraviolet radiation waves have more energy than visible light waves?

• Ultraviolet radiation waves have a greater mass.

• Ultraviolet radiation waves have a greater velocity.

• Ultraviolet radiation waves have a greater wavelength.

• Ultraviolet radiation waves have a greater frequency.

The graph shows the speed of sound at different temperatures in three media: X, Y and Z.

The three media are air (a gas), water (a liquid) and silver (a solid). Based on the graph, which letter corresponds to silver?

• X

• Y

• Z

• Not enough information to answer