1. Cutnell/Johnson Physics 8th edition Reading Quiz Questions
Classroom Response System Questions
Chapter 16 Waves
Reading Quiz Questions

2. 16.1.1. Which one of the following types of waves is purely longitudinal?
a) light traveling through vacuum
b) waves on a plucked guitar string
c) radio waves traveling through air
d) sound waves emitted from a speaker
e) surface waves on the surface of a shallow pond

3. 16.1.2. Which one of the following statements concerning transverse waves is true?
a) The direction of the disturbance is parallel to the direction of travel.
b) The direction of the disturbance is perpendicular to the direction of travel.
c) A sound wave is an example of a transverse wave.
d) Transverse waves are not periodic waves.
e) Transverse waves always travel at the speed of light.

4. 16.1.3. Which one of the following statements concerning waves is false?
a) A wave carries energy from one place to another.
b) A wave is a disturbance that travels from one place to another.
c) The disturbance of particles of a medium may be in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling.
d) Sound waves are purely longitudinal waves.
e) A wave carries particles of its medium from one place to another.

5. 16.2.1. Which one of the following statements concerning periodic waves is false?
a) Periodic waves may be transverse or longitudinal.
b) The frequency of a periodic wave is equal to 1/T, where T is the period of the wave.
c) The speed of a periodic wave is equal to the product of its wavelength and its frequency.
d) The time it takes for a wave to travel the distance of one wavelength is equal to the period of the wave.
e) If the periodic wave is traveling on a guitar string, its speed depends on the amplitude of the wave.

6. The graph shows the vertical displacement as a function of time at one location in a medium through which a wave is traveling. What is the amplitude of the wave?
a) 1 m
b) 2 m
c) 4 m
d) 6 m
e) 8 m

7. The graph shows the vertical displacement as a function of time at one location in a medium through which a wave is traveling. What is the period of the wave?
a) 0.5 s
b) 1.0 s
c) 1.5 s
d) 2.0 s
e) 4.0 s

8. Which one of the following factors is important in determining the speed of waves on a string?
a) amplitude
b) frequency
c) length of the string
d) mass per unit length
e) speed of the particles that compose the string

9. 16. 3. 2. A wave moves at a constant speed along a string
A wave moves at a constant speed along a string. Which one of the following statements is false concerning the motion of particles in the string?
a) The particle speed is constant.
b) The particle speed depends on the amplitude of the periodic motion of the source.
c) The particle speed is independent of the tension and linear density of the string.
d) The particle speed is not the same as the wave speed.
e) The particle speed depends on the frequency of the periodic motion of the source.

10. 16. 3. 3. A piano is tuned by tightening or loosing the piano wires
A piano is tuned by tightening or loosing the piano wires. When the wires are tightened, how is speed of the waves on the wire affected, if at all?
a) The speed is increased.
b) The speed is reduced.
c) The speed remains the same.

11. 16. 3. 4. A piano is tuned by tightening or loosing the piano wires
A piano is tuned by tightening or loosing the piano wires. When the wires are tightened, how is frequency of the waves on the wire affected, if at all?
a) The frequency is increased.
b) The frequency is reduced.
c) The frequency remains the same.

12. 16. 3. 5. A wire of mass m and length L carries a transverse wave
A wire of mass m and length L carries a transverse wave. If the tension applied to the wire is F, which one of the following statements concerning the wave is true?
a) The wavelength of the wave depends only on L.
b) The wavelength of the wave depends on L, m, and F.
c) The speed of the wave depends on L, m, and F.
d) The speed of the wave depends only on m and L.
e) Statements (a) and (d) are both true.

13. 16. 4. 1. Consider the three waves described by the equations below
Consider the three waves described by the equations below. Which wave(s) is moving in the negative x direction?
a) A only
b) B only
c) C only
d) A and B
e) B and C

14. Which one of the following statements concerning the equations used to describe waves is false?
a) The equation assumes that y = 0 m and x = 0 m at time t = 0 s.
b) When a calculator is used to calculate the sine function, it must be set in radian mode.
c) The wave equations may be used to describe both longitudinal and transverse waves.
d) The equation includes the amplitude, frequency, and wavelength of the waves.
e) The term (2ft  2x/) is called the group velocity of the wave.

15. 16. 5. 1. A girl is playing a trumpet
A girl is playing a trumpet. The sound waves produced are traveling through air to your ear. Which one of the following statements is false concerning this situation?
a) A high-frequency sound that the trumpet produces is interpreted as a high-pitched sound.
b) Air molecules between the trumpet and your ear vibrate back and forth parallel to the direction the waves are traveling.
c) The loudness of the sound wave involves the size of the oscillations in air pressure.
d) The sounds from the trumpet are longitudinal waves.
e) The sound travels at the speed of light to your ear.

16. 16.5.2. A sound wave is an example of what type of wave?
a) longitudinal wave
b) electromagnetic wave
c) matter wave
d) transverse wave
e) seismic wave

17. 16.5.3. Which frequency range is considered infrasonic, such that humans cannot normally hear them?
a) 0 to 20 Hz
b) 0 to 200 Hz
c) 0 to 1000 Hz
d) 0 to 2000 Hz
e) 0 to 4000 Hz

18. 16.5.4. Which frequency range is considered the normal hearing range for healthy young people?
a) 100 to 2000 Hz
b) 20 to Hz
c) 20 to Hz
d) 200 to Hz
e) 20 to 4000 Hz

19. 16.5.5. Which one of the following statements concerning traveling sound waves in air is false?
a) Traveling sound waves are longitudinal waves.
b) Traveling sound waves consist of alternating regions of compressed and expanded air.
c) A typical speed of sound in air is 680 m/s.
d) The displacement amplitude of a traveling sound wave may be described by a sinusoidal function.

20. 16.6.1. For which of the following choices does the speed of sound have the largest value?
a) vacuum
b) air
c) copper
d) alcohol
e) helium

21. In determining the speed of sound in an ideal gas, such as neon, which of the following choices is not needed?
a) the specific heat capacities of the gas
b) Young’s modulus
c) Boltzmann’s constant
d) temperature
e) mass of the gas molecules

22. In determining the speed of sound in a solid bar, such as one made of steel, which of the following choices is not needed?
a) the density of the bar
b) Young’s modulus
c) Boltzmann’s constant

23. What is sonar?
a) a method for converting sound waves into radio waves
b) an apparatus that uses laser pulses to generate sound waves
c) a method for comparing the intensity of various sound waves
d) a technique of measuring distances using sound waves
e) an apparatus that uses sound waves to move or damage objects

24. 16. 6. 5. You are observing a thunderstorm
You are observing a thunderstorm. In the distance, you see a flash of lightning. Five seconds later, you hear thunder. How far away was the lightning flash?
a) 1 mile
b) 0.5 mile
c) 2 miles
d) mile
e) 5 miles

25. 16.7.1. Which one of the following statements best describes the concept of sound intensity?
a) Sound intensity is the amount of energy the sound waves carries at a particular location.
b) Sound intensity is the sound power that passes perpendicularly through a surface divided by the amplitude of the wave.
c) Sound intensity is the amplitude of the wave.
d) Sound intensity is the constant power per unit area of a sound wave as it travels from one location to another.
e) Sound intensity is the sound power that passes perpendicularly through a surface divided by the area of that surface.

26. The threshold of hearing is the smallest sound intensity that a human ear can hear. For a 1000-Hz pure tone, what intensity corresponds to the threshold of hearing?
a) 1012 W/m2
b) 1010 W/m2
c) 108 W/m2
d) 106 W/m2
e) 104 W/m2

27. 16. 8. 1. The sound intensity level is reported in decibels
The sound intensity level is reported in decibels. If one doubles the intensity of sound, by what factor does the perceived loudness, in decibels, change?
a) 10 dB
b) 20 dB
c) 3 dB
d) 2 dB
e) 5 dB

28. 16. 8. 2. The sound intensity level is reported in decibels
The sound intensity level is reported in decibels. If the sound intensity is at the threshold for hearing, what is the sound intensity level in decibels?
a) zero dB
b) 1 dB
c) 12 dB
d) 10 dB
e) 3 dB

29. You are riding a bicycle along the side of a road when an ambulance comes up behind you with its siren on. As the ambulance passes, you notice that the sound of the siren changes. How does it change as it passes?
a) The frequency decreases and then increases.
b) The frequency increases and then decreases.
c) The frequency continually increases.
d) The frequency continually decreases.
e) The frequency decreases to a lower frequency.

30. 16.9.2. In the formulas for calculating the frequency an observer hears, what is the term vS?
a) the speed of the observer
b) the speed of sound
c) the speed of the source
d) the speed of light
e) the speed at STP

31. On a warm spring day, you are waiting at a red traffic light listening to your favorite radio station with the windows down. The driver in a car passing you in the left turn lane at a constant speed happens to be listening to the same radio station. What do you notice as the car approaches and passes you?
a) The sound from the passing car seems to be at a lower frequency when approaching and at a higher frequency when moving away compared to the sound from your radio.
b) The sound from the passing car seems to be at a higher frequency when approaching and at a lower frequency when moving away compared to the sound from your radio.
c) As the car approaches, the shift to higher frequencies increases as the distance decreases between the two cars.
d) As the car approaches, the shift to lower frequencies increases as the distance decreases between the two cars.
e) As the car approaches, the shift to lower frequencies decreases as the distance decreases between the two cars.

32. Which of the following occurs when the Doppler effect is produced by a moving source of sound?
a) interference
b) superposition
c) sound intensity changes
d) frequency changes
e) The speed of sound changes.

33. What is NEXRAD?
a) a method for determining blood flow rate
b) an advanced weather detection system
c) a device used to measure the speed of vehicles in traffic
d) a sophisticated system used in the search for oil underground
e) a method for measuring surface temperatures from orbiting satellites