Physics 0625 · IGCSE
Sound
100 practice questions on Sound, with worked solutions and instant marking.
A sound wave moves from point X to point Y. Which diagram shows how the air molecules move, because of the sound wave, in the space between X and Y?
Feb/March 2016
Sound wave P has a larger amplitude and a longer wavelength in air than sound wave Q. How does the loudness and pitch of P compare with the loudness and pitch of Q?
Feb/March 2016
A sound wave moves from point X to point Y. Which diagram shows how the air molecules move, because of the sound wave, in the area between X and Y?
Feb/March 2016
The speed of sound in air is $340\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. Which row shows typical values for the speed of sound in a liquid and in a solid?
Feb/March 2016
To work out the speed of sound in air, some students could use an echo method. Describe one suitable method and include the measurements they need to make.
Feb/March 2016
Fig. 6.1 shows the waveform of a sound wave. The wave moves with constant speed.
Feb/March 2016
A student is positioned a few hundred metres from a wall and shouts. He then hears a weak echo. Which statement is correct?
Feb/March 2017
Which statement regarding ultrasound is correct?
Feb/March 2017
Which statement correctly describes sound waves?
Feb/March 2017
Which statement concerning ultrasound is correct?
Feb/March 2017
A cruise ship is putting on a firework display close to a cliff, as shown in Fig. 8.1. A firework is launched from the cruise ship into the air. It bursts with a vivid flash of light and a loud bang.
Feb/March 2017
The amplitude and frequency of a sound wave both get smaller. What effect does this have on the sound heard?
Feb/March 2018
As both the amplitude and the frequency of a sound wave fall, what change is heard in the sound?
Feb/March 2018
A sound wave is moving through water. What could be one possible speed of the wave?
Feb/March 2018
A sound pulse is emitted from the underside of a boat. It moves through the water and is then reflected by the sea-bed. After $1.3\,\text{s}$, the sound returns to the boat. The sea-bed is $1000\,\text{m}$ beneath the boat. Using this information, what is the speed of sound in the water?
Feb/March 2019
A sound wave moves past a point. At that point, the air pressure rises and then falls $300$ times each second. Which statements describe this sound wave?
Feb/March 2019
A boy is standing $150\,\text{m}$ away from a wall. He gives a clap, and as soon as he hears the echo, he claps again straight away. He carries on doing this for a while. Another student is using a stop-watch. She begins timing at the first clap and stops it at the eleventh clap. The stop-watch shows $10.0\,\text{s}$. What value do her measurements produce for the speed of sound in air?
Feb/March 2019
The horn of a ship is sounded. The captain hears an echo from a cliff $4.0\,\text{s}$ later. The speed of sound is $340\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How far from the ship is the cliff?
Feb/March 2020
Bats emit ultrasound waves in order to navigate. What frequency range could these waves have?
Feb/March 2020
The diagram illustrates compressions and rarefactions in air while a sound wave travels from left to right. A sound of the same frequency but lower loudness is produced. What change will occur in the number of particles in a rarefaction and in a compression?
Feb/March 2020
Which process makes a sound wave produce an echo?
Feb/March 2021
A loudspeaker emits a quiet sound. The pitch of the sound stays unchanged, but its loudness is made greater. Which property of the sound wave has increased?
Feb/March 2021
What is the approximate wavelength in air of the sound with the highest frequency that a normal healthy person can hear?
Feb/March 2021
The diagram shows a sound wave. What are the names of the sections of the sound wave marked X and Y?
Feb/March 2021
The speed of sound is not the same in different states of matter. In liquid water, the speed of sound is $1500\ \text{m s}^{-1}$. Which row gives the correct comparison between the speed of sound in ice and the speed of sound in water vapour, compared with the speed of sound in water?
Feb/March 2021
State the term used for the reflection of a sound wave or ultrasound wave.
Feb/March 2021
A sound wave has a wavelength of $0.024\,\text{m}$. Determine the frequency of this sound wave and state whether humans can hear it.
Feb/March 2023
A student writes down a list of some wave applications. 1 medical imaging of soft tissue 2 sterilisation of water 3 using sonar to determine ocean depths Which applications use ultrasound waves?
Feb/March 2023
Explain what compression and rarefaction mean.
Feb/March 2023
Which process makes a sound wave create an echo?
Feb/March 2024
A student is 75 m away from a wall and creates a brief, loud sound by knocking two pieces of wood together. What is the approximate interval between producing the sound and the student hearing the echo that is returned?
Feb/March 2024
Elephants hear frequencies from $10\,\text{Hz}$ to $12000\,\text{Hz}$, whereas horses hear frequencies from $55\,\text{Hz}$ to $33000\,\text{Hz}$. Which statement correctly describes the range of audible frequencies for a healthy human ear?
Feb/March 2024
An athlete notices a puff of smoke from the starting pistol and then hears the pistol fire $1.5$ seconds later. The sound and the smoke are produced simultaneously. The starting pistol is $450\,\text{m}$ from the athlete. From this observation, what is the speed of sound?
Feb/March 2025
Which statement concerning ultrasound is correct?
Feb/March 2025
A student taps a tuning fork against a wooden block. The tuning fork is kept close to the students’ ear, as shown in Fig. 8.1.
Feb/March 2025
Why is ultrasound not audible to humans?
May/June 2016
One sound wave has a particular amplitude and a particular frequency. A second sound wave is less loud and has a lower pitch than the first sound wave. The second wave possesses
May/June 2016
What is the approximate hearing range of a healthy human ear?
May/June 2016
A singer produces two notes. The first note has a greater loudness and a lower pitch than the second note. Which statement about the two notes is correct?
May/June 2016
What range of wave frequencies contains only sounds that a human with normal hearing can detect?
May/June 2016
A candle flame is positioned in front of a loudspeaker. The loudspeaker generates a sound wave, which makes the air particles oscillate. These oscillating air particles cause the candle flame to oscillate in the same direction as the air particles. Which row identifies the direction of vibration of the candle flame, and the nature of sound waves?
May/June 2016
Sound waves with frequency $2.0\,\text{kHz}$ move through a substance at $800\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What wavelength do the waves have?
May/June 2016
A sound wave moves through air as alternating compressions and rarefactions. Which row correctly compares the air pressure in a compression and the air pressure in a rarefaction with the air pressure in a nearby region where no sound wave is present?
May/June 2016
A sound wave has a particular amplitude and a particular frequency. A second sound wave is less loud and has a lower pitch than the first sound wave. The second wave has
May/June 2016
For the sound to get to a microphone, it has to travel through two materials from a loudspeaker. Which pair of materials allows the sound to arrive at the microphone in the least time?
May/June 2016
Which frequency range contains only sounds that a person with normal hearing can detect?
May/June 2016
Describe how the students use the apparatus and how they calculate the speed. You may draw a diagram.
May/June 2016
Radio waves, ultrasound and visible light are each examples of waves.
May/June 2016
A fire alarm does not sound loudly enough, and its pitch is too low. An engineer changes the alarm so that it gives out a louder sound with a higher pitch. What happens to the amplitude and to the frequency of the sound?
May/June 2017
A fire alarm is not loud enough, and its pitch is too low. An engineer adjusts the alarm so that it gives a louder note with a higher pitch. What change does this cause to the amplitude and to the frequency of the sound?
May/June 2017
A fire alarm does not make enough noise and its pitch is too low. An engineer alters the alarm so that it gives out a louder sound with a higher pitch. How are the amplitude and the frequency of the sound affected?
May/June 2017
A fire alarm does not sound loudly enough, and its pitch is too low. An engineer changes the alarm so that it gives a louder sound with a higher pitch. What happens to the amplitude and to the frequency of the sound?
May/June 2017
A fire alarm does not sound loud enough, and its pitch is too low. An engineer changes the alarm so that it gives a louder sound with a higher pitch. What effect does this have on the amplitude and on the frequency of the sound?
May/June 2017
Fig. 9.1 illustrates the position of a man working in a rock quarry. One explosion is used to shatter part of a rock face. The labels shown are: front rock face, back rock face, explosion, man. The explosion is 430 m from the man, and the man is 170 m from the back rock face.
May/June 2017
A sound wave is a longitudinal wave, and a spring is used as the model to illustrate a longitudinal wave.
May/June 2017
A loudspeaker emits a sound wave with a fixed frequency.
May/June 2017
A loudspeaker is fitted into the side of a swimming pool. It sends sound waves through the water, and those waves have wavelength $0.25\,\text{m}$.
May/June 2017
A dolphin can detect audible frequencies from $150\,\text{Hz}-150\,\text{kHz}$. Which range of frequencies is audible to both humans with good hearing and dolphins?
May/June 2018
A siren is producing a sound. As time goes by, the sound grows louder and its pitch rises. What happens to the amplitude and the frequency of the sound wave being emitted?
May/June 2018
The diagram illustrates the ranges of human hearing and ultrasound waves. The numbers on the diagram refer to which property of sound waves?
May/June 2018
Dolphins can detect frequencies across a range of $150\,\text{Hz}$-$150\,\text{kHz}$. Which frequency band is within the hearing range of both humans with good hearing and dolphins?
May/June 2018
A siren is producing sound. As time goes by, the sound increases in loudness and the pitch becomes higher. What is happening to the amplitude and to the frequency of the sound wave being emitted?
May/June 2018
The diagram illustrates the air molecules in a section of a sound wave at one specific instant. Which statement is incorrect?
May/June 2018
The diagram illustrates the audible range for humans and the range of ultrasound waves. Which property of sound waves is represented by the numbers on the diagram?
May/June 2018
This question concerns measuring the speed of sound in air. A student is positioned in front of a large wall. She strikes a drum and then hears an echo. Fig. 8.1 shows where the student and the wall are. The diagram is labelled with: student, wall.
May/June 2018
Sound is produced when a source [BLANK].
May/June 2018
The boxes include terms about waves.
May/June 2018
A sound wave is a longitudinal wave.
May/June 2018
Ultrasound is employed in a hospital to scan a patient. It refracts at the boundary between muscle and bone since it moves at a higher speed in bone. Which change happens as the ultrasound passes from muscle into bone?
May/June 2019
A pulse of sound is sent out from the bottom of a boat. It passes through the water and is reflected by a shoal of fish. The sound returns to the boat after 1.2 s. The speed of sound in the water is $1500\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. Calculate how far below the bottom of the boat the shoal of fish is.
May/June 2019
Which interval is approximately right for the range of audio frequencies that a healthy human ear can detect?
May/June 2019
A sound pulse is generated at the base of a boat. It travels through the water and is reflected by a shoal of fish. The sound returns to the boat after $1.2\,\text{s}$. The speed of sound in the water is $1500\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How far below the bottom of the boat is the shoal of fish?
May/June 2019
A sound pulse is generated at the underside of a boat. It moves through the water and is reflected by a shoal of fish. After $1.2\,\text{ s}$, the sound returns to the boat. The speed of sound in the water is $1500\,\text{ m s}^{-1}$. Determine the depth of the shoal of fish below the bottom of the boat.
May/June 2019
Which statement concerning ultrasound is correct?
May/June 2019
A sound pulse is generated from the underside of a boat. It moves through the water and is reflected by a shoal of fish. The echo returns to the boat after $1.2\,\text{ s}$. The speed of sound in the water is $1500\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How far below the bottom of the boat is the shoal of fish?
May/June 2019
What approximate value does the speed of sound in air have at normal temperature?
May/June 2019
A sound pulse is generated beneath the base of a boat. It passes through the water and is reflected by a shoal of fish. After $1.2\ \text{ s}$, the sound returns to the boat. The speed of sound in the water is $1500\ \text{m s}^{-1}$. How far below the bottom of the boat is the shoal of fish?
May/June 2019
An observer is positioned at the finishing line of a $100\ \text{m}$ race. He wants to measure the winner’s time. He begins his stop-watch as soon as he spots the smoke from the starting gun, rather than when he hears the bang. What is the reason for this?
May/June 2019
Air carries sound at a speed of $340\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. A source produces sound waves with a frequency of $1.2\,\text{kHz}$. What is the wavelength of the sound waves?
May/June 2019
A pulse of sound is generated at the underside of a boat. It travels through the water, is reflected by a shoal of fish, and then returns to the boat after $1.2\,\text{s}$. The speed of sound in the water is $1500\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How far beneath the bottom of the boat is the shoal of fish?
May/June 2019
Which of these statements concerning ultrasound is correct?
May/June 2019
The diagrams show the waves generated by four sound sources. Each diagram uses the same scale. Which sound has the greatest frequency?
May/June 2021
Sound is the transfer of energy from a source that is oscillating. Which statement describes the way in which sound energy is transferred?
May/June 2021
The diagrams show the waves generated by four sound sources. The scales are identical in all the diagrams. Which sound has the greatest frequency?
May/June 2021
The diagrams show the waves generated by four sound sources. The scale is identical in each diagram. Which sound has the greatest frequency?
May/June 2021
Which statement about ultrasound is correct?
May/June 2021
A sound wave moves outwards from a loudspeaker into the air around it. Three statements are given here. Which of these statements about the sound wave are correct?
May/June 2021
To arrive at a microphone, sound from a loudspeaker has to travel through two materials. Which pair of materials would let the sound reach the microphone in the least time?
May/June 2021
Sound from a loudspeaker has to travel through two materials before it arrives at a microphone. Which pair of materials results in the least time taken for the sound to reach the microphone?
May/June 2021
The diagram illustrates a model of a sound wave moving through air in an open tube. What region does Q represent?
May/June 2021
To reach a microphone, sound from a loudspeaker has to travel through two materials. Which pair of materials results in the shortest time for the sound to arrive at the microphone?
May/June 2021
To make the sound louder, increase the [BLANK] of the sound wave.
May/June 2021
Fig. 6.1 is a diagram drawn to full scale that shows a sound wave moving through air.
May/June 2021
Student 1 and student 2 are separated by $170\,\text{m}$, as illustrated. Student 1 sets off a starting pistol. Student 2 receives the sound two times: first along the direct path and then after it reflects from the wall. The speed of sound in air is $340\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What is the time gap between the two sounds being heard?
May/June 2022
A sound wave is produced by a loudspeaker that moves backwards and forwards $96\,000$ times in one minute. The speed of sound is $320\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What is the wavelength of this sound wave?
May/June 2022
Student X uses a starting pistol, causing both smoke and sound. Student Y is positioned $100\,\text{m}$ away and observes the smoke as soon as it appears. The speed of sound in air is $340\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What is the time delay between student Y seeing the smoke and hearing the sound?
May/June 2023
A boy shouts and then hears an echo reflected from a tall building $2.2\,\text{ s}$ later. The speed of sound in air is $330\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How far away from the boy is the building?
May/June 2023
A ship blows its horn when it is $790\,\text{m}$ away from a cliff. A passenger on board hears the echo $4.8\,\text{s}$ afterwards. What is the speed of the sound?
May/June 2023
Student X fires a starting pistol, generating both smoke and sound. Student Y is standing $100\,\text{m}$ away and sees the smoke at the exact moment it is produced. The speed of sound in air is $340\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How long is the delay between student Y seeing the smoke and hearing the sound?
May/June 2023
A boy calls out and receives the echo from a tall building $2.2\,\text{s}$ afterwards. The speed of sound in air is $330\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. How far away from the boy is the building?
May/June 2023