Q1) Domino Toppling is one entry in the Guinness Book

of World Records. The event consists of lining up an

incredible number of dominoes and then letting them topple,
one after another. Is the disturbance that propagates along the
line of dominoes transverse, longitudinal, or partly both?
1) transverse
2) longitudinal
3) partly both

Q2) Which of the following are transverse waves: (a) An ocean

wave rolling toward Santa Cruz beach, (b) The sound of one whale
calling another whale under water; (c) A pulse sent down a
stretched rope by snapping one end of it.
1) a
4) a and c

2) b
5) a, b, and c

Q3)Considerthefollowingwaves:

The"wave"madebyfansatsportsevents
wavesonthesurfaceofalake
Musicintheauditorium
TVsignalstransmittingpictures

Howmanyoftheabovefouraretransversewaves?

3) c

1)1

2)2

3)3

4)4

5)None

Q4)Whichoneofthefollowingismostlikelytobeimpossible?
1)Transversewavesinafluid
2)Longitudinalwavesinafluid
3)Transversewavesinasolid
4)Longitudinalwavesinasolid
5)Wavesinavacuum(nomedium)

Q5) By shaking one end of a stretched string, a single pulse

is generated. The traveling pulse carries
1) energy.
2) momentum.
3) energy and momentum.
4) neither of the two.

Q6) An object that completes 100 vibrations in 5 seconds has a

period of
1) 0.5 second.
2) 1 second.
3) 2 seconds.
4) None of the above choices are correct.

Q7) A periodic wave is produced on a stretched string. Which one

of the following properties is not related to the speed of the wave?
1) frequency
2) amplitude
3) period
4) wavelength
5) tension in the string

Q8) Which one of the following statements concerning waves is

false?
1) A wave can have both transverse and longitudinal components.
2) A wave carries energy from one place to another.
3) A wave does not result in the bulk flow of the material of its
medium.
4) A wave is a traveling disturbance.
5) A transverse wave is one in which the disturbance is parallel to
the direction of travel.

Q9) If the frequency of wave is doubled, what change

will occur in (a) its speed? (b) In its wavelength?
1) (a) double
2) (a) double
3) (a) remain the same
4) (a) remain the same
5) (a) cut in half

(b) double
(b) cut in half
(b) double
(b) cut in half
(b) remain the same

Q10) A source of frequency f sends waves of wavelength

traveling with speed v in some medium. If the frequency is
changed from f to 2f, then the new wavelength and new speed are
(respectively):
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

2
/2

/2

v
v
2v
v/2
2v

Q11) If the waves are going at the same speed, which wave
has the greatest period of oscillation?
1) I
2) II
3) III
4) IV

Q12) You dip your fingers repeatedly into water and

make waves. If you dip your finger more frequently, the
wavelength of the waves
1) increases
2) decreases
3) stays the same

Q13) Suppose that a transverse wave moves along stretched

string with an amplitude of 0.25 m. What total distance does
a point on the string move during one complete cycle?
1) 0.25 m
2) 0.5 m
3) 1.0 m
4) none of the above
Q14) A sinusoidal transverse wave is traveling on a string. Any
point on the string:
1) moves in the same direction as the wave
2) moves in SHM with a different frequency than that of the wave
3) moves in SHM with the same angular frequency as the wave
4) moves in UCM with a different angular speed than the wave
5) moves in UCM with the same angular speed as the wave
vwave

Q15) Three waves are traveling

along identical strings. Wave B has
twice the amplitude of the other two.
Wave C has a smaller amplitude and
1/2 the wavelength than A or B.
Which wave goes fastest?
1) A
3) C

2) B
4) All have same v

y
B
x

y
C

Q16) The graph below shows a snapshot of a wave on a string

which is traveling to the right. There is a bit of paint on the string
at point P. At the instant shown, the velocity of paint point P has
direction:
1) right
2) left
3) up
4) down
5) none of the above

y
vwave
P

Q17) Three traveling sinusoidal waves are on identical strings,

with the same tension. The mathematical forms of the waves are
y1(x; t) = ym sin(3x - 6t), y2(x; t) = ym sin(4x - 8t), and
y3(x; t) = ym sin(6x - 12t), where x is in meters and t is in seconds.
Match each mathematical form to the appropriate graph below.
1) y1: iii,
2) y1: iii,
3) y1: i,
4) y1: i,
5) y1: ii,

y2: ii,
y2: i,
y2: ii,
y2: iii,
y2: i,

y3: i
y3: ii
y3: iii
y3: ii
y3: iii

Q18) Two traveling waves 1 and 2 are described by the equations.

(All numbers are in the appropriate SI units) Which wave has the
higher speed?
1) wave 1
2) wave 2
3) Both have the same speed.

y1 ( x, t ) 2sin(2 x t )

y2 ( x, t ) 4sin( x 2t )

Q19) The displacement of a string carrying a traveling sinusoidal

wave is given by y(x, t) = ym sin(kx t -). At time t = 0 the
point at x = 0 has a velocity of 0 and a positive displacement. The
phase constant is:
1) /4 radians
2) /2 radians
3) radians
4) 3/2 radians
5) none of the above

Q20) The displacement of a string carrying a traveling sinusoidal

wave is given by
y(x,t) = y sin(kx-t-) :
At time t = 0 the point at x = 0 has a displacement of 0 and is
moving in the positive y direction. The phase constant is:
m

1) 45
4) 180

2) 90
5) 270

3) 135

Q21) A rope of mass m is hanging down from the ceiling. Nothing

is attached to the loose end of the rope. A transverse wave is
traveling on the rope. As the wave travels up the rope, does the
speed of the wave increase, decrease, or remain the same?
1) increase
2) decrease

3) remain the same

Q22) When a 100-Hz oscillator is used to generate a sinusoidal
wave on a certain string the wavelength is 10 cm. When the
tension in the string is doubled the generator produces a wave with
a frequency and wavelength of:
1) 141 Hz and 20 cm
2) 141 Hz and 14 cm
3) 100 Hz and 20 cm
4) 100 Hz and 14 cm
5) 50 Hz and 14 cm

Q23)Twopianostringshavethesametension,aremadefromthe
samematerial,andhavethesamelength,butstringBisthicker
(largerdiameter)thanstringA.ThepitchfromstringBwillbe
1)lowerthan
2)higherthan
3)thesameas
4)notenoughinformation
thatfromstringA.

Q24) The tension in a guitar string is doubled. How does the

frequency of oscillation change?
1) it increases by a factor of 2
2) it decreases by a factor of 2
3) it increases by a factor of 2

4) it decreases by a factor of 2
5) none of the above
Q25) A long string is constructed by joining the ends of two shorter
strings. The tension in the strings is the same but string I has 4
times the linear mass density of string II. When a sinusoidal wave
passes from string I to string II:
1) the frequency decreases by a factor of 4
2) the frequency decreases by a factor of 2
3) the wave speed decreases by a factor of 4
4) the wave speed decreases by a factor of 2
5) the wave speed increases by a factor of 2
Q26) Two strings, one thick and the other thin, are connected to
form one long string. A wave travels along the string and passes
the point where the two strings are connected. Which of the
following change(s) at that point:
1) frequency
2) period
3) propagation speed
4) wavelength

Q27) The following four waves are sent along strings with the
same linear densities. Rank the waves according to the tensions in
the strings along which they travel, greatest first:
(1) y1 = (3 mm) sin(x 3t)
(2) y2 = (6 mm) sin(2x t)

(3) y3 = (1 mm) sin(4x t)

(4) y4 = (2 mm) sin(x 2t)

1) 3 , 2, 1=4
2) 1, 4, 1=3
3) 1, 4, 2, 3
4) 3, 2, 4, 1
5) none
Q28) A string that is stretched between fixed supports separated by
75.0 cm has resonant frequencies of 420 and 315 Hz with no
intermediate resonant frequencies. What is the wave speed of
the string?
1) 78.75 m/s
4) 472 m/s

2) 157.5 m/s
5) none of the above

3) 236 m/s

Q29) A transverse wave is traveling with a speed of 300 m/s on a

horizontal string. If the tension in the string is increased by a factor
of four, what is the speed of the wave?
1) 75 m/s
2) 150 m/s
3) 300 m/s
4) 600 m/s
5) 1200 m/s

Q30)Aweightishungoverapulleyandattachedtoastring
composedoftwoparts,eachmadeofthesamematerialbutone
havingfourtimesthediameteroftheother.Thestringisplucked
sothatapulsemovesalongit,movingatspeedv1inthethickpart
andatspeedv2inthethinpart.
Whatisv1/v2?
1)1
2)2

3)
4)

Q31) In the standing wave shown, what is its

amplitude?
1) 40 centimeters
2) 20 centimeters
3) 10 centimeters

Q32) In the standing wave shown, how many nodes are

there?
1) 3
2) 4
3) 5
4) 6

Q33) Which one of the following statements is true concerning the

points on a string that sustain a standing wave pattern?
1) All points vibrate with the same energy.
2) All points undergo the same displacements.
3) All points vibrate with different frequencies.
4) All points vibrate with different amplitudes.
5) All points undergo motion that is purely longitudinal.

Q34)Astringisclampedatbothendsandthenpluckedsothatit
vibratesinastandingmodebetweentwoextremepositionsaandc.
Letupwardmotioncorrespondtopositivevelocities.Whenthe
stringisinpositionb,theinstantaneousvelocityofpointsalong
thestringis...
a
b
c

1) 0 everywhere.
2) + everywhere.
4)dependsonposition.

3)everywhere.

Q35) A string of length 100 cm is held fixed at both ends and

vibrates in a standing wave pattern. The wavelengths of the
constituent traveling waves CANNOT be:
1) 400 cm
2) 200 cm
3) 100 cm
4) 66.7 cm
5) 50 cm

Q36) If you set up the seventh harmonic on a string, is there

a node, antinode, or some intermediate state at the
midpoint?
1) node
2) antinode
3) intermediate state

Q37) If you set up the seventh harmonic on a string, (a) how

many nodes are present, and (b) is there a node, antinode, or
some intermediate state at the midpoint?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

(a) 7
(a) 7
(a) 8
(a) 8
(a) 8

(b) node
(b) antinode
(b) node
(b) antinode
(b) some intermediate state

Q38)AstringonaninstrumentplaysanA(440Hz)whenplucked.
Ifyouputyourfingerdowninthemiddleofthestring,andthen
pluck,youaremostlylikelytohear
1)Aanoctavehigher(880Hz)
2)A,anoctavelower(220Hz)
3)Sametone
4)Someentirelydifferentnote.

Q39)Astringvibrateswithanaturalfundamentalfrequencyof
220Hz,withawavelengthof2m.Besides220Hz,whichofthe
followingare"resonantfrequencies"whichyoumightalsofaintly
detect?
i)110Hz

ii)330Hz

iii)440Hz

1)ionly
4) i and ii

2)iionly
5) all three

3)iiionly