1. Physics of Everyday Phenomena
W. Thomas Griffith
Juliet W. Brosing
Chapter 15
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

2. Question 15.1
A wave disturbance in which the displacement in the medium is parallel to the direction of
travel of the wave is a
A) longitudinal wave
B) transverse wave

3. Question 15.2
A wave disturbance in which the displacement in the medium is perpendicular to the
direction of travel of the wave is a
A) longitudinal wave
B) transverse wave

4. Question 15.3 The higher the frequency of a wave
A) the smaller its speed.
B) the greater its amplitude.
C) the longer its period.

5. Question 15.4
If you increase the tension of a string the velocity of the wave in the string
A) increases
B) decreases
C) does not change

6. Question 15.5
You look inside your piano and find that there are two types of strings: bare steel wire and steel
wire wrapped with a copper coil. If you have one of each type of string with the same
length and under the same tension, which will produce a lower frequency sound wave?
A) The bare wire will have a lower frequency.
B) The wrapped wire will have a lower frequency.
C) They will have the same frequency.

7. Question 15.6 The antinode of a standing wave represents a point of
A) no motion
B) maximum motion

8. Question 15.7 The node of a standing wave represents a point of
A) no motion
B) maximum motion

9. Question 15.8 Standing waves are created by the interference of
two waves that don’t move
two waves that move in opposite directions but create a pattern that is stationary
a moving wave and the medium in which it travels
light and sound waves

10. Question 15.9 The fundamental frequency is
due to the longest possible wavelength
due to the shortest possible wavelength
has the highest frequency

11. Question 15.10 Sound waves are A) transverse waves
B) longitudinal waves

12. Question 15.11
You have an empty 2-liter soda bottle and an empty 12-oz soda bottle. Which one has the
higher frequency when you blow across the top?
A) the 2-liter bottle
B) the 12-oz bottle
C) both have the same frequency
D) depends on how hard you blow

13. Question 15.12
You blow into an open pipe and produce a tone. What happens to the frequency of the
tone if you place your hand over one end of the pipe and blow into it again?
A) depends on how hard you're blowing
B) you hear the same frequency
C) you hear a higher frequency
D) you hear a lower frequency

14. Question 15.13
As you are standing on the lakeshore on a calm day, a friend in a boat 300 m offshore calls out to you. Simultaneously, a friend who is 300 m inland yells to get your attention. Which one will you hear first?
A) the friend offshore
B) the friend inland
C) you will hear both at the same time
D) sound can't carry that far

15. Question 15.14
When a car passes you with its horn blaring you hear a lower-frequency sound after the car has passed than when it is approaching. This is because:
The frequency of the sound wave produced changes
Motion of the source changes the wavelength of the sound reaching you
The air warms up due to motion of the car, causing the speed of sound to change

16. Question 15.15
Motorcycle Mike is traveling behind an ambulance with a speed of 40 mph. The ambulance, traveling in the same direction, has a speed of 70 mph. When Mike hears the ambulance's siren, the frequency is _______ the actual frequency.
A) higher than
B) the same as
C) lower than

17. Question 15.16
A bat detects the location of a moth by using echo location. If the moth is foolishly flying towards the bat, the frequency of the reflected sound the bat hears
A) is higher.
B) is lower.
C) is the same.

18. Question 15.17
A violinist discovers while tuning her violin that her string is flat (has a lower frequency).
She should
A) tighten the string.
B) loosen the string.
C) play faster.

19. Question 15.18
An pipe at one end has a length of 60 centimeters. What is the wavelength of the second harmonic frequency?
A) 20 cm
B) 60 cm
C) 80 cm
D) 100 cm

20. Question 15.19
Pitch is related to what physical characteristic of a wave?
Wavelength
Speed
Frequency
Amplitude

21. Question 15.20
Why do musical instruments sound different when playing the same note?
The frequency of the fundamental is different on different instruments
The speed of sound is different in the two instruments
Different musical instruments have different combinations of higher harmonics

22. Answer Key to Chapter 15 A B C B D C A