The students use a starting pistol, stopwatch, and measuring tape to measure the speed of sound. They fire the starting pistol and use the stopwatch to time how long it takes the sound to travel to a set distance marked on the measuring tape. They then calculate the speed of sound by dividing the distance by the recorded time.
A device at the bottom of the sea emits a 200 Hz sound wave. In sea water, with a speed of 1500 m/s, the wavelength is calculated to be 7.5 m. When the sound wave passes into air, the frequency remains the same but the speed decreases.
[DOCUMENT]
The students use a starting pistol, stopwatch, and measuring tape to measure the speed of sound. They fire the starting pistol and use the stopwatch to time how long it takes the sound to travel to a set distance marked on the measuring tape. They then calculate the speed of sound by dividing the distance by the recorded time.
A device at the bottom of the sea emits a 200 Hz sound wave. In sea water, with a speed of 1500 m/s, the wavelength is calculated to be 7.5 m. When the sound wave passes into air, the frequency remains the same but the speed decreases.
[DOCUMENT]
The students use a starting pistol, stopwatch, and measuring tape to measure the speed of sound. They fire the starting pistol and use the stopwatch to time how long it takes the sound to travel to a set distance marked on the measuring tape. They then calculate the speed of sound by dividing the distance by the recorded time.
A device at the bottom of the sea emits a 200 Hz sound wave. In sea water, with a speed of 1500 m/s, the wavelength is calculated to be 7.5 m. When the sound wave passes into air, the frequency remains the same but the speed decreases.
[DOCUMENT]
The students use a starting pistol, stopwatch, and measuring tape to measure the speed of sound. They fire the starting pistol and use the stopwatch to time how long it takes the sound to travel to a set distance marked on the measuring tape. They then calculate the speed of sound by dividing the distance by the recorded time.
A device at the bottom of the sea emits a 200 Hz sound wave. In sea water, with a speed of 1500 m/s, the wavelength is calculated to be 7.5 m. When the sound wave passes into air, the frequency remains the same but the speed decreases.
[DOCUMENT]
1 (a) Two students are measuring the speed of sound.
The students are provided with a starting pistol, a stopwatch and a long measuring tape. The starting pistol, when fired, produces a loud sound and a puff of smoke at the same instant.
Describe how the students use the apparatus and how they calculate the speed. You may draw a diagram.
(b) A ship uses pulses of sound to measure the depth of the sea beneath the ship. A sound pulse is transmitted into the sea and the echo from the sea-bed is received after 54 ms. The speed of sound in seawater is 1500 m / s.
[Total: 7] PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com 3 (a) A sound wave in air consists of alternate compressions and rarefactions along its path. (i) Explain how a compression differs from a rarefaction.
[Total: 8] PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com 4 A sound wave, travelling in air, approaches a solid barrier with a gap in the middle. Fig. 6.1 represents the compressions and rarefactions of the sound wave. The compressions are labelled A, B and C.
barrier A B C
compression
rarefaction
Fig. 6.1
(a) State how a compression differs from a rarefaction.
(ii) the time that elapses before compression A reaches the barrier.
time = ...........................................................[2]
(c) On Fig. 6.1, draw the shape and positions of compressions B and C as compression A reaches the barrier. [2]
(d) Sound waves can also travel in water.
State how the speed of sound in water compares with the speed of sound in air.
...............................................................................................................................................[1] PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com [Total: 8] 5 A dolphin produces a sound wave in water of frequency 7800 Hz.
Fig. 6.1 represents rarefactions of the sound wave travelling in the water and hitting the side of a wooden ship at an angle.
(d) On Fig. 6.1, sketch the positions in the wood of the three incomplete rarefactions. [2]
[Total: 8]
PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com 6 (a) Draw a straight line from each quantity on the left-hand side to a speed on the right-hand side which is typical for that quantity.
30 m / s
300 m / s speed of sound in gas
3000 m / s
speed of sound in solid
30 000 m / s
300 000 m / s [2]
(b) Explain why sound waves are described as longitudinal.
