Sound Waves Quiz
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5 questions, one answer each
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1. Sound travels as a longitudinal wave. What does this mean about the direction of particle motion compared to the direction of wave travel?
- A. Particles vibrate parallel to the direction of wave travel
- B. Particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave travel
- C. Particles move in circular motions around the wave direction
- D. Particles move randomly in all directions
2. Which of the following best describes why sound cannot travel through a vacuum?
- A. Sound requires a medium because particles need to vibrate and transfer energy through collisions
- B. Sound waves are too weak to travel without air molecules to amplify them
- C. Electromagnetic radiation interferes with sound in empty spaces
- D. The speed of sound decreases to zero in a vacuum
3. A musician plays a note at a higher pitch. Which quantity has increased?
- A. The amplitude of the sound wave
- B. The frequency of the sound wave
- C. The speed of the sound wave
- D. The wavelength of the sound wave
4. A microphone detects sound by converting sound waves into electrical signals. This is different to how the human ear works because the human ear
- A. uses a membrane called the eardrum that vibrates in response to sound waves
- B. can only detect frequencies above 20 Hz
- C. converts sound directly into electrical signals without any mechanical vibration
- D. responds to loudness but not to pitch
5. A ship emits an ultrasonic pulse that reflects off the seabed and returns to the ship in 0.8 seconds. The speed of sound in seawater is 1500 m/s. Calculate the depth of the seabed.
- A. 600 m
- B. 1200 m
- C. 1500 m
- D. 2400 m