Sound Waves

Question 1

What is the distance between two waves called?

Answer 1

The wavelength

Question 2

What does the graph show about the speed of sound in dry air?

Answer 2

As the temperature decreases, the speed of sound descreases

Question 3

crest to crest or trough to trough?

Answer 3

Wavelength

Question 4

Does a wave that occurs more times than the other have a higher frequency?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

What is the crest?

Answer 5

The highest point on a wave

Question 6

What is the trough?

Answer 6

The lowest point on a wave

Question 7

How do you describe the amount of sound based on somethings soundwaves?

Answer 7

Amplitude

Question 8

What kind of waves are sound waves?

Answer 8

Longitudinal

Question 9

What do all waves transfer?

Answer 9

Energy

Question 10

What a wave collides with an object and bounces off what is it called?

Answer 10

Reflection

Question 11

What type of vibrations to longitudinal waves have?

Answer 11

Parallel vibrations

Question 12

What is the equation in order to find the wave speed (the speed in which the sound energy is being transferred)?

Answer 12

Wave speed = frequency x wavelength

Question 13

What sort of vibrations do transverse waves have?

Answer 13

Side ways vibrations

Question 14

What piece of apparatus is used to measure the speed of sound?

Answer 14

Oscilloscope

Question 15

How are these used to measure speed?

Answer 15

You would attach two microphones to the oscilloscope and place a speaker on the other side of the microphones. You would then slowly move one microphone away until both sound waves are aligned on the oscilloscope but are exactly one wavelength apart. Measure the distance between the microphones to find the wavelength. The formula to calculate your answer would be speed = sounds waves (passing through the air) x the frequency which helps you find out the speed of sound.

Question 16

What piece of apparatus would you use to measure speed of water ripples?

Answer 16

A ripple tank

Question 17

Explain how ripple tanks are used

Answer 17

You would use a signal generator and attach it to the dipper of the ripple tank and you can create water waves at a set frequency. Make sure light is minimal and use a lamp. You should be able to see the wave crests as shadows on the screen underneath the tank. The distance between the distance between shadow crests/ lines are equivalent to one wavelength. Measure the distance between shadow lines that are 10 wavelengths apart then divide this distance by 10 to find the average wave length and use the formula speed = sound waves x frequency.

Question 18

What experiments are wave equations used for?

Answer 18

To measure waves on strings

Question 19

How do you use it for measuring waves on strings?

Answer 19

You need to set up a signal generator beside a vibration transducer and then you attach some string to a pulley from the transducer and the pulley should be way down by a certain amount of weights. All this apparatus should be on a bench. Adjust the frequency of the signal generator until their is a clear wave. The frequency you need depends on the length of you need depends on the distance between the pulley and transducer and the masses you’ve used. You need to measure the wavelength of the waves do this by measuring four or five of the wavelengths then divide them to get the mean half way length and then double this mean to get a full wavelength. The frequency is whatever the signal generator is set to.