Wave mcq [30 

marks]
1. [1 mark]
An object moves with simple harmonic motion. The acceleration of the object is
A.  constant.
B.  always directed away from the centre of the oscillation.
C.  a maximum at the centre of the oscillation.
D.  a maximum at the extremes of the oscillation.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
2. [1 mark]
A travelling wave has a frequency of 500 H z. The closest distance between two points on
π
( )
the wave that have a phase difference of 60 r a d  is 0.050 m. What is the speed of the
3
wave?
A.  25 m s− 1
B.  75 m s− 1

C.  150 m s− 1
D.  300 m s− 1

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
3. [1 mark]
What changes occur to the frequency and wavelength of monochromatic light when it
travels from glass to air?
Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
4. [1 mark]
The air in a pipe, open at both ends, vibrates in the second harmonic mode.

What is the phase difference between the motion of a particle at P and the motion of a
particle at Q?
A.  0
π
B.  
2
C.  π
D.  2 π

Markscheme
C
Examiners report
[N/A]
5. [1 mark]
The motion of an object is described by the equation
acceleration ∝ − displacement.
What is the direction of the acceleration relative to that of the displacement and what is the
displacement when the speed is a maximum?

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
6. [1 mark]
A transverse travelling wave is moving through a medium. The graph shows, for one
instant, the variation with distance of the displacement of particles in the medium.
The frequency of the wave is 25 Hz and the speed of the wave is 100 m s –1. What is correct
for this wave?

 
A. The particles at X and Y are in phase.

B. The velocity of the particle at X is a maximum.

C. The horizontal distance between X and Z is 3.0 m.

D. The velocity of the particle at Y is 100 m s–1.

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
7. [1 mark]
Monochromatic light is used to produce double-slit interference fringes on a screen. The
fringe separation on the screen is y. The distance from the slits to the screen and the
separation of the slits are both doubled, and the light source is unchanged. What is the new
fringe separation on the screen?
y
A. 
4
B. y
C. 2 y
D. 4 y

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
8. [1 mark]
Unpolarized light is incident on two polarizing filters X and Y. They are arranged so that
light emerging from Y has a maximum intensity. X is fixed and Y is rotated through θ about
the direction of the incident beam in its own plane.

What are the first three successive values of θ for which the final transmitted intensity is a
maximum?

 
A.  90°, 180°, 270°

B.  90°, 270°, 450°

C.  180°, 360°, 540°

D.  180°, 540°, 720°

 

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
9. [1 mark]
A pipe is open at both ends. What is correct about a standing wave formed in the air of the
pipe?
A. The sum of the number of nodes plus the number of antinodes is an odd number.
B. The sum of the number of nodes plus the number of antinodes is an even number.

C. There is always a central node.

D. There is always a central antinode.

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]
10. [1 mark]
A particle performs simple harmonic motion (shm). What is the phase difference between
the displacement and the acceleration of the particle?
A. 0
π
B. 
2
C. π
3π
D. 
2
 

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
11. [1 mark]
Which graph shows the variation with time t of the kinetic energy (KE) of an object
undergoing simple harmonic motion (shm) of period T?
Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
12. [1 mark]
What are the changes in speed, frequency and wavelength of light as it travels from a
material of low refractive index to a material of high refractive index?
Markscheme
D

Examiners report
This question was well answered by the majority of candidates.
13. [1 mark]
Which of these waves cannot be polarized?
A. microwaves
B. ultrasound
C. ultraviolet
D. X rays
Markscheme
B

Examiners report
This question was very well answered by candidates, with a high difficulty index.
14. [1 mark]
A string fixed at both ends vibrates in the first harmonic with frequency 400 Hz. The speed
of sound in the string is 480 m s–1. What is the length of the string?
A. 0.42 m
B. 0.60 m
C. 0.84 m
D. 1.2 m

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
Response D was the most common option selected, perhaps by students equating the
wavelength of the sound with the length of the string, or incorrectly taking the first
harmonic to be the fundamental frequency.
15. [1 mark]
The graph shows the variation of the displacement of a wave with distance along the wave.

The wave speed is 0.50 m s-1.

What is the period of the wave?

A. 0.33 s

B. 1.5 s

C. 3.0 s

D. 6.0 s

Markscheme
C
Examiners report
[N/A]
16. [1 mark]
Object P moves vertically with simple harmonic motion (shm). Object Q moves in a vertical
circle with a uniform speed. P and Q have the same time period T. When P is at the top of its
motion, Q is at the bottom of its motion.

What is the interval between successive times when the acceleration of P is equal and
opposite to the acceleration of Q?

T
A. 
4

T
B. 
2

3T
C. 
4

D. T
Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
17. [1 mark]
Unpolarized light is incident on two polarizers. The axes of polarization of both polarizers
are initially parallel. The second polarizer is then rotated through 360° as shown.

Which graph shows the variation of intensity with angle θ for the light leaving the second
polarizer?
Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
18. [1 mark]
Monochromatic light travelling upwards in glass is incident on a boundary with air. The
path of the refracted light is shown.

A layer of liquid is then placed on the glass without changing the angle of incidence on the
glass. The refractive index of the glass is greater than the refractive index of the liquid and
the refractive index of the liquid is greater than that of air.
What is the path of the refracted light when the liquid is placed on the glass?

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
A low discrimination index with most candidates choosing C. They have deduced, correctly,
that the ray moves away from the normal on entering the denser medium but have
apparently forgotten that the stem of the question has shown them that it reaches the
glass-air boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle.
19. [1 mark]
A student blows across the top of a cylinder that contains water. A first-harmonic standing
sound wave is produced in the air of the cylinder. More water is then added to the cylinder.
The student blows so that a first-harmonic standing wave is produced with a different
frequency.
What is the nature of the displacement in the air at the water surface and the change in
frequency when the water is added?

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
20. [1 mark]
The orbital radius of the Earth around the Sun is 1.5 times that of Venus. What is the
intensity of solar radiation at the orbital radius of Venus?

A. 0.6 kW m-2

B. 0.9 kW m-2

C. 2 kW m-2

D. 3 kW m-2
Markscheme
D

Examiners report
This had a low discrimination index at both SL and HL and although the correct answer was
the most popular, all options gained high support. Candidates should be reminded that they
have a data booklet and become familiar with its contents before the exam.
21. [1 mark]
A particle moving in a circle completes 5 revolutions in 3 s. What is the frequency?
 
3
A.    Hz
5
5
B.    Hz
3
3π
C.    Hz
5
5π
D.    Hz
3

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
22. [1 mark]
A longitudinal wave moves through a medium. Relative to the direction of energy transfer
through the medium, what are the displacement of the medium and the direction of
propagation of the wave?
 
Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
23. [1 mark]
The graphs show the variation of the displacement y of a medium with distance x and with
time t for a travelling wave.
What is the speed of the wave?
 
A.   0.6 m s–1
B.   0.8 m s–1
C.   600 m s–1
D.   800 m s–1

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
24. [1 mark]
In a double-slit experiment, a source of monochromatic red light is incident on slits S 1
and S2 separated by a distance d. A screen is located at distance x from the slits. A pattern
with fringe spacing y is observed on the screen.

Three changes are possible for this arrangement

I.    increasing x
II.   increasing d
III.  using green monochromatic light instead of red.
Which changes will cause a decrease in fringe spacing y?
 
A.   I and II only
B.   I and III only
C.   II and III only
D.   I, II, and III

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
25. [1 mark]
Two strings of lengths L1 and L2 are fixed at both ends. The wavespeed is the same for both
strings. They both vibrate at the same frequency. L1 vibrates at its first harmonic. L2
vibrates at its third harmonic.
L1
What is ?
L2

 
1
A.   
3
B.   1
C.   2
D.   3

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
26. [1 mark]
A first-harmonic standing wave is formed on a vertical string of length 3.0 m using a
vibration generator. The boundary conditions for this string are that it is fixed at one
boundary and free at the other boundary.
                    

The generator vibrates at a frequency of 300 Hz.

What is the speed of the wave on the string?
A.     0.90 km s–1
B.     1.2 km s–1
C.     1.8 km s–1
D.     3.6 km s–1 

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
27. [1 mark]
Two travelling waves are moving through a medium. The diagram shows, for a point in the
medium, the variation with time t of the displacement d of each of the waves.

                      
For the instant when t = 2.0 ms, what is the phase difference between the waves and what
is the resultant displacement of the waves?
Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
28. [1 mark]
The diagram shows an interference pattern produced by two sources that oscillate on the
surface of a liquid.
                  

Which of the distances shown in the diagram corresponds to one fringe width of the
interference pattern?

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
29. [1 mark]
A system that is subject to a restoring force oscillates about an equilibrium position.
For the motion to be simple harmonic, the restoring force must be proportional to
A.     the amplitude of the oscillation.
B.     the displacement from the equilibrium position.
C.     the potential energy of the system.
D.     the period of the oscillation.

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
30. [1 mark]
A particle is displaced from rest and released at time t = 0. It performs simple harmonic
motion (SHM). Which graph shows the variation with time of the kinetic energy Ek of the
particle?
Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

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