Chapter 16

Wave Motion

Multiple Choice

1. The speed of lightwaves in air is 3.0 × 108 m/sec. The speed of sound waves in air is
333 m/s. How long between the time a lightning flash is seen and the thunderclap is
heard if the lightning flash is 1.0 km away?

a. 3.0 s
b. 5.0 s
c. 7.0 s
d. 10 s
e. 1.0 s

2. The wavelength of light visible to the human eye is on the order of 5 × 10–7 m. If the
speed of light in air is 3 × 108 m/s, find the frequency of the lightwave.

a. 3 × 107 Hz
b. 4 × 109 Hz
c. 5 × 1011 Hz
d. 6 × 1014 Hz
e. 4 × 1015 Hz

3. The speed of a sound wave in seawater is approximately 1500 m/s. If this wave is
transmitted at 10 kHz, what is its wavelength?

a. 5.0 cm
b. 10 cm
c. 15 cm
d. 20 cm
e. 29 cm

4. Bats can detect small objects such as insects for dessert (ugh) that are of the size
approximately on the order of a wavelength. If bats emit a chirp at a frequency of 60 kHz
and the speed of soundwaves in air is 330 m/s what is the smallest size insect they can
detect?

a. 1.5 mm
b. 3.5 mm
c. 5.5 mm
d. 7.5 mm
e. 9.8 mm

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2 Chapter 16

5. Ocean waves with a wavelength of 120 m are coming in at a rate of 8 per minute. What is
their speed?

a. 8.0 m/s
b. 16 m/s
c. 24 m/s
d. 30 m/s
e. 4.0 m/s

6. An earthquake emits both S waves and P waves which travel at different speeds through
the Earth. A P-wave travels at 9000 m/s and an S-wave travels at 5000 m/s. If P-waves
are received at a seismic station 1 minute before an S-wave arrives, how far to the
earthquake center?

a. 2400 km
b. 1200 km
c. 680 km
d. 240 km
e. 480 km

7. A piano string of density .005 kg/m is under a tension of 1350 N. Find the velocity with
which a wave travels on the string.

a. 260 m/s
b. 520 m/s
c. 1040 m/s
d. 2080 m/s
e. 4160 m/s

8. A 100-m long transmission cable is suspended between two towers. If the mass density is
2 kg/m and the tension in the cable is 3 × 104 N, what is the speed of transverse waves on
the cable?

a. 60 m/s
b. 122 m/s
c. 244 m/s
d. 310 m/s
e. 1500 m/s

9. Transverse waves are traveling on a 1-m long piano string at 500 m/s. If the points of zero
vibration occur at one-half wavelength, (where the string is fastened at both ends), find
the frequency of vibration.

a. 250 Hz
b. 500 Hz
c. 1000 Hz
d. 2000 Hz
e. 2500 Hz

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 Chapter 16 3

10. The lowest A on a piano has a frequency of 27.5 Hz. If the tension in the 2-m string is
308 N, and one-half wavelength occupies the string, what is the mass of the wire?

a. .025 kg
b. .050 kg
c. .072 kg
d. .081 kg
e. .037 kg

11. If y = .02 sin (30x – 400t) (SI units), the frequency of the wave is

a. 30 Hz
b. 15/π Hz
c. 200/π Hz
d. 400 Hz
e. 800π Hz

12. If y = .02 sin (30x – 400t) (SI units), the wavelength of the wave is

a. π/15 m
b. 15/π m
c. 60π m
d. 4.2 m
e. 30 m

13. If y = .02 sin(30x – 400t) (SI units), the velocity of the wave is

a. 3/40 m/s
b. 40/3 m/s
c. 60π/400 m/s
d. 400/60π m/s
e. 400 m/s

14. If y = .02 sin (30x – 400t) (SI units), the angular frequency of the wave is

a. 30 rad/s
b. 30/2π rad/s
c. 400/2π rad/s
d. 400 rad/s
e. 40/3 rad/s

15. If y = .02 sin (30x – 400t) (SI units), the wave number is

a. 30 m–1
b. 30/2π m–1
c. 400/2π m–1
d. 400 m–1
e. 60π m–1

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4 Chapter 16

16. If y = .02 sin (30x - 400t) (SI units) and if the mass density of the string on which the wave
propagates is .005 kg/m, then the transmitted power is

a. 1.03 W
b. 2.13 W
c. 4.84 W
d. 5.54 W
e. 106 W

17. Write the equation of a wave, traveling along the +x axis with an amplitude of .02 m, a
frequency of 440 Hz, and a speed of 330 m/sec.

a. y = .02 sin [880π x/(330 – t)]

b. y = .02 cos [880π x/330 – 440t]
c. y = .02 sin [880π(x/330 + t)]
d. y = .02 sin [2π(x/330 + 440t)]
e. y = .02 cos [2π(x/330 + 440t)]

18.
π 
For the wave described by y = .15 sin  (2x – 64t) (SI units) , determine the first
16
positive x-coordinate where y is a maximum when t = 0.

a. 16 m
b. 8m
c. 4m
d. 2m
e. 13 m

19.
π 
For the wave described by y = .15 sin  (2x – 64t) (SI units) , determine the second
16
maximum when t = 0.

a. 20 m
b. 18 m
c. 24 m
d. 28 m
e. 16 m

For the transverse wave described by y = .15 sin 

 π (2x – 64t) (SI units) , determine the
20.
16 
maximum transverse speed of the particles of the medium.

a. .192 m/s
b. .6π m/s
c. 9.6 m/s
d. 4 m/s
e. 2 m/s

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 Chapter 16 5

21.
π 
For the wave described by y = .15 sin  (2x – 64t) (SI units) , the maximum transverse
16
speed occurs at t = .25 s, for what value of x?

a. 0m
b. 2m
c. 4m
d. 6m
e. 5m

∂ 2y 1 ∂ 2 y
22. Which of the following are solutions to the wave equation, = ?
∂x2 v 2 ∂ t 2

e –x
a. sin x
x
b. (cos kx) (sin t)
c. e–x sin ω t
d. e–x sin (kx – ω t)
e. e–x cos t

23. Find the period of a 100-m wave in deep water if v = gλ/2π .

a. 5.0 s
b. 8.0 s
c. 12.5 s
d. 15 s
e. .125 s

24. A piano wire of length 1.5 m vibrates such that one-half wavelength is contained on the
string. If the frequency of vibration is 65 Hz, the amplitude of vibration is 3 mm, and the
density is 15 g/m, what is the energy transmitted per second down the wire?

a. 21 W
b. 11 W
c. 5.36 W
d. 2.23 W
e. 1.13 W

Conceptual Problems

25. A stone is dropped from rest into a well. The sound of the splash is heard exactly 2 s
later. Find the depth of the well (speed of sound = 344 m/s).

26. If the breakers at a beach are separated by 5 m and hit shore with a frequency of 0.2 Hz,
with what speed are they traveling?

27. Bats can detect small objects such as insects that are of a size approximately that of one
wavelength. If bats emit a chirp at a frequency of 60 kHz, and the speed of sound in air is
340 m/s, what is the smallest size insect they can detect?

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6 Chapter 16

28. A circus performer stretches a tightrope between two towers. He strikes one end of the
rope and sends a wave along it toward the other tower. He notes that it takes 0.8 s for the
wave to travel the 20 m to the opposite tower. If one meter of the rope has a mass of
0.35 kg, find the tension in the tightrope.

29. A student attaches a length of nylon fishing line to a fence post. She stretches it out and
shakes the end of the rope in her hand back and forth to produce waves on the line. The
most efficient way for her to increase the wavelength is to:

a. increase the tension on the hose and shake the end more times per second.
b. decrease the tension on the hose and shake the end more times per second.
c. increase the tension on the hose and shake the end fewer times per second.
d. decrease the tension on the hose and shake the end fewer times per second.
e. keep the tension and frequency the same but increase the length of the hose.

30. The figure below shows a sine wave at one point of a string as a function of time.
y

Which of the graphs below shows a wave where the amplitude and the frequency are
doubled?
y y

t t

a b

y y

t t

c d

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 Chapter 16 7

31. The figure below shows a sine wave at one point of a string as a function of time.

Which of the graphs below shows a wave where the wavelength and frequency are each
reduced by half?

y y

t t

a b

y y

t t

c d

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8 Chapter 16

32. The figure below shows a sine wave on a string at one instant of time.

Which of the graphs below shows a wave where the frequency and wave velocity are
both doubled?

y y

x x

a b

y y

x x

c d

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 Chapter 16 9

33. The figure below shows a sine wave on a string at one instant of time.

Which of the graphs below shows a wave where the wavelength and frequency are each
reduced by half?

y y

x x

a b

y y

x x

c d

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10 Chapter 16

© 2000 by Harcourt College Publishers. All rights reserved.

 Chapter 16 1

Chapter 16

Wave Motion

1. Answer: a

2. Answer: d

3. Answer: c

4. Answer: c

5. Answer: b

6. Answer: c

7. Answer: b

8. Answer: b

9. Answer: a

10. Answer: b

11. Answer: c

12. Answer: a

13. Answer: b

14. Answer: d

15. Answer: a

16. Answer: b

17. Answer: a

18. Answer: c

19. Answer: a

20. Answer: b

21. Answer: a

22. Answer: b

23. Answer: b

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2 Chapter 16

24. Answer: d

25. Answer: 18.6 m

26. Answer: 1.0 m/s

27. Answer: 5.7 mm

28. Answer: 219 N

29. Answer: c

30. Answer: d

31. Answer: d

32. Answer: a

33. Answer: c

© 2000 by Harcourt College Publishers. All rights reserved.