Sound and Light questions

By Interwoven Maths

Sound and Light question collection

Review Sound and Light questions for Physics, with correct answers shown and coverage across sound as a longitudinal wave needing a medium; frequency, pitch and the auditory range; echoes, absorption and ultrasound.

Back to Sound and Light practice Back to Physics

Question 1

What do waves transfer between places?
  1. Energy
  2. Matter
  3. Charge
  4. Temperature

Question 2

Frequency is measured in which units?
  1. Hertz (Hz)
  2. Metres per second
  3. Newtons (N)
  4. Watts (W)

Question 3

What is amplitude?
  1. Maximum displacement
  2. Distance between crests
  3. Waves per second
  4. Time per wave

Question 4

Which wave has compressions and rarefactions?
  1. Longitudinal
  2. Transverse
  3. Standing
  4. Electromagnetic

Question 5

How are water-surface ripples modelled at KS3?
  1. Transverse
  2. Longitudinal
  3. Electromagnetic
  4. Standing

Question 6

A wave has \(f=5\,\mathrm{Hz}\) and \(\lambda=2\,\mathrm{m}\). What is its speed?
  1. \(10\,\mathrm{m/s}\)
  2. \(2.5\,\mathrm{m/s}\)
  3. \(7\,\mathrm{m/s}\)
  4. \(0.4\,\mathrm{m/s}\)

Question 7

Which ultrasound behaviour creates a medical image?
  1. Reflection at tissue boundaries
  2. Absorption by all tissue
  3. Refraction into straight paths
  4. Diffraction from the skin

Question 8

Two waves of amplitude \(A\) meet in phase. Combined amplitude?
  1. \(2A\)
  2. \(A\)
  3. \(A/2\)
  4. \(0\)

Question 9

At a plane mirror, how do incidence \(i\) and reflection \(r\) compare?
  1. \(i=r\)
  2. \(r=2i\)
  3. \(i=2r\)
  4. \(i+r=90^\circ\)

Question 10

Why does refraction occur when a wave enters a new medium?
  1. Its speed changes
  2. Its frequency changes
  3. Its amplitude changes
  4. Its energy changes

Question 11

What is a wave transferring energy into a material called?
  1. Absorption
  2. Reflection
  3. Refraction
  4. Transmission

Question 12

Which wave requires a material medium?
  1. Sound
  2. Visible light
  3. Radio
  4. Infrared

Question 13

Which technology uses waves to measure depth underwater?
  1. Sonar (ultrasound)
  2. Radar (radio waves)
  3. MRI (magnetic fields)
  4. Thermography (infrared)

Question 14

What is the reflection of sound back to its source called?
  1. An echo
  2. A shadow
  3. A refraction
  4. A diffraction

Question 15

Which property of a sound wave determines its pitch?
  1. Frequency
  2. Amplitude
  3. Wavelength
  4. Energy

Question 16

Which store usually increases when a material absorbs sound?
  1. Thermal
  2. Chemical
  3. Gravitational potential
  4. Electrostatic

Question 17

Where is a plane-mirror image formed?
  1. Same distance behind the mirror
  2. Same distance in front
  3. At the mirror surface
  4. Twice as far behind

Question 18

Which property of a sound wave determines volume?
  1. Amplitude
  2. Frequency
  3. Wave speed
  4. Period

Question 19

What happens when waves meet a barrier and bounce back?
  1. The waves are reflected
  2. The waves are refracted
  3. The waves are absorbed
  4. The waves are diffracted

Question 20

Which colour has the longest wavelength in visible light?
  1. Red
  2. Violet
  3. Blue
  4. Green

Question 21

Which property makes soft porous material effective soundproofing?
  1. High sound absorption
  2. High sound reflection
  3. High sound transmission
  4. Strong resonant amplification

Question 22

A wave has frequency \(4\,\mathrm{Hz}\). What is its period?
  1. \(0.25\,\mathrm{s}\)
  2. \(4\,\mathrm{s}\)
  3. \(0.5\,\mathrm{s}\)
  4. \(16\,\mathrm{s}\)

Question 23

What is the approximate upper limit of human hearing?
  1. 20 000 Hz
  2. 2 000 Hz
  3. 200 000 Hz
  4. 20 Hz

Question 24

What is the name for sound above the human hearing range?
  1. Ultrasound
  2. Infrasound
  3. Supersonic sound
  4. Amplified sound

Question 25

Which is true of light but not of sound?
  1. It travels through a vacuum
  2. It transfers energy
  3. It can be reflected
  4. It can be absorbed

Question 26

What is the approximate speed of light in a vacuum?
  1. 300 000 000 m/s
  2. 300 000 m/s
  3. 3 000 m/s
  4. 340 m/s

Question 27

A solar cell absorbs light. Which effect does this produce?
  1. An electrical effect
  2. A chemical effect
  3. A magnetic effect
  4. A nuclear effect

Question 28

Which part of the eye contains photo-sensitive material?
  1. The retina
  2. The lens
  3. The cornea
  4. The pupil

About this topic

Review Sound and Light questions for Physics, with correct answers shown and coverage across sound as a longitudinal wave needing a medium; frequency, pitch and the auditory range; echoes, absorption and ultrasound.

This topic covers

Example question types