Physics 5054 · O Level
General properties of waves
54 practice questions on General properties of waves, with worked solutions and instant marking.
A wave in a ripple tank moves from a deeper region into a shallower region and refracts. Which wave properties become smaller as the wave enters the shallow region?
May/June 2015
A ball floating in a ripple tank starts to oscillate up and down as a wave moves underneath it. The ball does not travel horizontally. Which statement is correct?
May/June 2015
Fig. 4.1 shows a wave on a string, and the wave is moving to the right.
May/June 2015
Fig. 9.1 illustrates the wavefronts of a water wave in deep water in a ripple tank. The frequency of the wave in deep water is $5.0\,\text{Hz}$.
May/June 2015
For a transverse wave, what do we mean by a wavefront?
May/June 2016
A longitudinal wave travels along a spring. The coils of the spring move from side to side. The diagram shows the positions of the coils at one moment. Which positions are separated by one wavelength?
May/June 2016
A water wave in a ripple tank is refracted as it moves from deep water into shallow water. Which properties are altered as the wave is refracted?
May/June 2016
A sound wave moves through air. The lines in the diagram indicate the positions of layers of air at one specific moment. Which distance represents the wavelength of the wave?
May/June 2016
Light is a transverse wave because the vibrations act at right angles to the direction of energy transfer.
May/June 2016
Which of these waves are longitudinal in nature?
May/June 2017
The diagram illustrates a water wave in a ripple tank as it is refracted at the boundary between region P and region Q. In what ways does the wave in region P differ from the wave in region Q?
May/June 2017
The graph illustrates how the height of a water wave changes with distance along the wave. Which graph represents a wave with twice the amplitude, half the frequency, and the same speed?
May/June 2017
On Fig. 10.1, draw the two reflected rays and mark the image position.
May/June 2017
A water wave is generated in a ripple tank.
May/June 2018
A microwave signal is sent from a transmitter on the Earth’s surface to a satellite in orbit, and it is then sent straight back to Earth.
May/June 2018
Which category of waves is longitudinal?
May/June 2019
A water wave moves towards a boat that is not moving. As the wave goes past, the boat begins to move up and down and receives kinetic energy from the wave. Which wave property changes while the wave passes the boat?
May/June 2019
Which type of waves are longitudinal?
May/June 2019
Fig. 10.1 contains vertical lines that mark the crests of a wave in a ripple tank. The diagram is drawn to scale, with $1.0\,\text{cm}$ on the diagram standing for $4.0\,\text{cm}$ in the tank. A crest needs $2.0\,\text{s}$ to move from $P$ to $Q$.
May/June 2019
In a ripple tank, a water wave refracts as it travels from deeper water into water of less depth. What happens to the wave’s speed and to its frequency as it enters the shallower water?
May/June 2021
Fig. 4.1 illustrates a wave on a rope, while Fig. 4.2 illustrates a wave on a spring. In each case, the arrows show the direction of travel. Fig. 4.1 is a transverse wave on a rope. Fig. 4.2 is a longitudinal wave on a spring, with point X shown.
May/June 2021
Fig. 10.1 illustrates a water wave travelling from shallow water into deep water. The wavefronts drawn indicate the crests of the wave.
May/June 2021
A sea wave meets a cliff face. The crest of the wave reaches the cliff once every $6.0\,\text{s}$. The horizontal separation between a crest and the neighbouring trough of the wave is $4.5\,\text{m}$. Calculate the speed of the wave.
May/June 2022
A sound wave is refracted when it travels from air into water. Which quantities are altered?
May/June 2022
Fig. 8.1 displays a ripple tank together with the crests of the water wave formed in it. The wave has frequency $2.0\,\text{Hz}$ and amplitude $3.0\,\text{mm}$.
May/June 2022
As it moves through the opening in a barrier, a water wave in a ripple tank undergoes diffraction.
May/June 2023
Water waves are examples of transverse waves.
May/June 2023
Which quantity is defined as the number of wavelengths that pass a point each second?
May/June 2024
An ultrasound wave with frequency $30\,\text{kHz}$ has a wavelength of $0.011\,\text{m}$ in air.
May/June 2024
A cork floating on the water’s surface rises and falls as a wave travels over the surface. The diagram shows how the cork’s height above the mean level of the surface changes with time. The numerical value of the wavelength of this wave is the same as the numerical value of the amplitude of this wave. What is the speed of the wave?
May/June 2025
As a water wave moves from deep water into shallow water in a ripple tank, what change occurs to its speed and to its wavelength?
May/June 2025
Fig. 5.1 is a diagram of how the air particles are arranged as a longitudinal wave moves through them.
May/June 2025
During a ripple tank experiment, plane wavefronts reach a plane surface. Which row correctly describes the waves after reflection from the surface?
Oct/Nov 2015
An echo sounder emits ultrasound with a frequency of $24\,\text{kHz}$. In water, the ultrasound moves at $1.5\,\text{km}\,\text{s}^{-1}$. What wavelength does ultrasound of this frequency have in water?
Oct/Nov 2015
In a ripple tank experiment, plane wavefronts reach a plane surface. Which row gives the correct description of the waves after reflection from the surface?
Oct/Nov 2015
A phone starts ringing and the display lights up. Which kinds of wave are involved in how the phone works?
Oct/Nov 2016
The diagram illustrates the water surface as a wave travels through a ripple tank. Which lengths show the amplitude and the wavelength of the wave?
Oct/Nov 2016
Which of the following statements about waves is correct?
Oct/Nov 2016
The diagram illustrates the water surface in a ripple tank as a wave moves across it. Which lengths show the amplitude and the wavelength of the wave?
Oct/Nov 2016
A wave moves through water in a glass-sided tank. The diagram gives a side-on view of the wave at one moment. What are the amplitude and the wavelength of the wave?
Oct/Nov 2017
An earthquake wave moves across the Earth’s solid surface from east to west. The solid surface oscillates in a north-south direction. How can the earthquake wave be described?
Oct/Nov 2017
What term means the number of wave crests passing a point each second?
Oct/Nov 2018
What is the approximate value of $\frac{\text{speed of light in air}}{\text{speed of sound in air}}$ ?
Oct/Nov 2018
Which statement about a water wave is true?
Oct/Nov 2018
Which description best defines the amplitude of a water wave in a ripple tank?
Oct/Nov 2019
Consider these four statements about wavefronts. 1. Wavefronts produced by a point source are straight lines. 2. Wavefronts produced by a point source are circular. 3. Wavefronts run parallel to the direction of energy movement. 4. Wavefronts are at right angles to the direction of energy movement. Which two statements are correct?
Oct/Nov 2019
An electromagnetic wave travels at a speed of $3.0 \times 10^{8}\,\text{m s}^{-1}$ and has a wavelength of $10\,\text{cm}$. What is the wave frequency?
Oct/Nov 2020
A water wave in a pond moves into an area where it travels more slowly. It then moves back into an area where it travels at the original speed. Assume that the wave frequency remains constant. Which side-view of the wave is correct?
Oct/Nov 2021
What does the term amplitude of a wave mean?
Oct/Nov 2021
The diagram illustrates a single wavefront of a wave moving from deep water into shallow water in a ripple tank. What occurs as the wavefront enters the shallow water?
Oct/Nov 2021
The diagram illustrates one wavefront of a wave moving from deep water into shallow water in a ripple tank. What happens as the wavefront enters the shallow water?
Oct/Nov 2021
The diagram illustrates two waveforms. Which arrow indicates the wavelength of a longitudinal wave?
Oct/Nov 2023
A learner measures the speed of a wavefront on the water surface. The learner pours water into a dish and uses a dropping pipette so that a single drop falls into the middle of the dish, as illustrated in Fig. 1.1. The wavefront formed then moves out to the edge of the dish and reflects back towards the centre.
Oct/Nov 2023
Identify the waves that are longitudinal.
Oct/Nov 2024