1. Example
Which type of wave requires a material medium to travel through?
a) Television
b) Light
c) Sound
d) Radio
e) X-ray
Sound is a mechanical wave, and mechanical waves require a medium to travel through.

2. Example A periodic wave transfers? a) Mass and Energy b) Mass only
c) Energy only
d) Neither Mass and Energy
e) Sound
Light, does not have mass, or sound effects, but any periodic wave does transfer energy, since energy was given to it to make it oscillate

3. Example
A periodic wave is produced when you hit one of the prongs of a tuning fork. To increase the amplitude of the wave, you would need to:
a) Hit the prong harder
b) Hit the prong faster
c) Hit the prong slower
d) Nothing, amplitude it fixed
e) Shorten the prong
When you hit the fork harder, you are transferring more energy to the fork, increasing the amplitude of the wave

4. Example
What is the period of a 50-Hz electromagnetic wave travelling at 3x108 m/s?
a) 20s
b) 2s
c) 0.2s
d) 0.02s
e) 0.002s

5. Example
A periodic wave with a frequency of 10 Hz and a speed of 20 m/s has a wavelength of:
a) 20m
b) 2m
c) 0.2m
d) 0.02m
e) 0.002m

6. Example
An electromagnetic wave with a wavelength of 2.0x10-1 m is travelling through a vacuum, What is its period?
a) 20s
b) 5s
c) 3.0x108s
d) 2.0x10-1s
e) 6.7x10-10s

7. Example
The phenomenon that cause sound waves to shatter a glass cup is?
a) Reflection
b) Refraction
c) Resonance
d) Diffraction
e) Interference

8. Example
If you have two waves travelling in the same medium with the same frequency and amplitude. The maximum destructive interference will occur when the phase difference between the two waves is:
a) 0o
b) 90o
c) 180o
d) 270o
e) 360o

9. Example
When tuning a piano, a key produces a note of 150 Hz, when the next key is hit a beat pattern twice a second is heard. What could the frequency be for the second out of tune key?
a) 152 Hz
b) 75 Hz
c) 300 Hz
d) 148 Hz
e) 2 Hz

10. This standing wave is ½ of the actual wavelength
Example
Two children create a standing wave when skipping. If the children are 4.60 metres apart, then determine the wavelength of this standing wave.
a) 9.20 m
b) 4.60 m
c) 1.50 m
d) 13.8 m
e) 2.30 m
This standing wave is ½ of the actual wavelength

11. Example
You design a string instrument in which the speed of the travelling waves are 400m/s. How long should the string be to produce the first fundamental frequency at 300Hz.
a) 1.42 m
b) 0.42 m
c) 1.50 m
d) 1.8 m
e) 0.67 m
Hint:

12. Example
You are given a 1m length of rope and you record the velocity of a pulse along this rope as 400 m/s. What frequency or frequencies could not be produced by the rope.
a) 200 Hz
b) 400 Hz
c) 500 Hz
d) 600 Hz
e) 1200Hz
Hint:
200 Hz is the fundamental frequency (or first harmonic), 400 Hz is the Second Harmonic (or first overtone), 600 Hz is the 3rd Harmonic (or second overtone, and 1200 Hz is the fourth Harmonic (or 3rd overtone).

13. Example
You are given four organ pipes with standing waves of the air displacement. Given that the speed of sound is 343 m/s.
Which pipe has the highest frequency and what is that frequency
Which pipe has the lowest frequency and what is that frequency
Which pipe has the longest wavelength and what is that wavelength
Which pipe has the shortest wavelength and what is that wavelength 2m

14. Example
You are given four organ pipes with standing waves of the air displacement. Given that the speed of sound is 343 m/s.
Which pipe has the highest frequency and what is that frequency?
Which pipe has the lowest frequency and what is that frequency? 2m

15. Example
You are given four organ pipes with standing waves of the air displacement. Given that the speed of sound is 343 m/s.
c) Which pipe has the longest wavelength and what is that wavelength
d) Which pipe has the shortest wavelength and what is that wavelength 2m

16. Example
You have a pipe that is closed at one end and open at the other. A tuning fork resonates when the pipe is 11 cm long. The same tuning fork does not resonate at any pipe smaller than this. At what other pipe length will the tuning fork resonate?
a) 22 cm
b) 33 cm
c) 44 cm
d) 55 cm
e) 66 cm

17. The wavelength of the wave then must be 44 cm
Solution
You have a pipe that is closed at one end and open at the other. A tuning fork resonates when the pipe is 11 cm long. The same tuning fork does not resonate at any pipe smaller than this. At what other pipe length will the tuning fork resonate?
11 cm
The wavelength of the wave then must be 44 cm
Since the pipe is open at one end and closed at the other it has a node at the closed end and a anti-mode at the other
The next harmonic oscillation occurs when there again is a anti-node at the open end, or 3 x 11cm = 33cm, then 5 x 11cm = 55cm

18. Example
An ambulance’s siren produces a sound wave of constant frequency. As the ambulance accelerates away from you, you notice that the sound wave:
a) Increases in amplitude and decreases in frequency
b) Increases in amplitude and increases in frequency
c) decreases in amplitude and decreases in frequency
d) decreases in amplitude and increases in frequency
e) Remains fixed in amplitude and decreases in frequency
Because the ambulance is moving away, the frequency of the wave is decreasing, plus the sound gets lower in volume, so the amplitude also decreases.

19. Example
You inhale some helium, as a result, the pitch of your voice rises. What happens to the standing waves of your vocal cords to cause this effect
a) The frequency of the waves decrease
b) The speed of the waves decrease
c) The speed of the waves increase
d) The wavelength of the waves decrease
e) The wavelength of the waves increase
Since the pitch of your voice increases, the frequency must increase. The wavelength does not change (wavelength depends upon physicsal structure of your voice box). Therefore by v=λf, the speed of the waves must increase. (the speed of sound in helium is faster than in air)

20. Example
A siren is emitting sound at a frequency of 1500Hz and an observer is moving away from the siren at 100 m/s. Given that the speed of sound in the air is 340 m/s, determine the observed frequency of the siren.
Hint:
Since you and the source are moving away from each other, the frequency must be lower

21. Use this formula for Fixed-Fixed conditions
Example
A rope is tied between two poles that are 8 m apart. Give two allowed standing wavelengths for this rope.
Hint:
Use this formula for Fixed-Fixed conditions

22. Example
The distance between two successive nodes in a vibrating string is 10cm. Given that the frequency of the source is 30 Hz. What is the wavelength?
Hint:

23. Example
A lightning flash is seen in the sky and 8.2 seconds later the boom of thunder is heard. The temperature of the air is 12.0 C.
(a) What is the speed of sound in air at that temperature?
The speed of sound in air of this temperature is 338 m/s.
(b) How far away is the lightning strike?

24. Example
The speed of light is 3.00105 km/s. How long does it take the light signal to reach the observer?

25. Wavelength plays no role in determining the resultant amplitude.
Example
Two wave pulses with amplitude A are travelling towards each other along a rope. When they interfere, what is the maximum amplitude of the resulting collision when the wavelength of one wave is twice the wavelength of the other?
Wavelength plays no role in determining the resultant amplitude.

26. The ear-drum oscillates in both direction for one cycle.
Example
Given that a human’s ear vibrates with an amplitude of 2.0x10-10 m. when listening to a 4 kHz sound. What is the total distance will the eardrum move in 1 minute?
Hint:
Find number of cycles in 1 minute
The ear-drum oscillates in both direction for one cycle.

27. Example
A sound wave in air moves at a speed of 340 m/s. Which is the wavelength of middle C (f=256 Hz)

28. Example
A sound wave has a frequency of 122 Hz. What are the frequencies when a) 2 Octaves higher, b) one Octave below.

29. Example
A source has an intensity of 50dB, while another source has an intensity of 70 dB. The intensity of the two differ by a factor of?

30. Example
An observer is 2m from a source. By how much (in dB) will the sound level decrease if the observer moves to a distance on 20m?
The distance increases by a factor of 10 (20m/2m=10)
Intensity is proportional to 1/r2, so intensity decreases by a factor of 102=100
Since 100 = 102 , this corresponds to two factors of 10 dB increase 10 dB+10dB =20 dB or
dB = 10log(intensity) = 10 log(100) = 10(2) = 20 dB