IGCSEPhysicsCambridge (CIE)Exam Questions3. WavesSound

Sound (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Physics)

Exam Questions

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1a1 mark

A healthy human ear can hear a range of frequencies.

  Three frequency ranges are shown.

  Draw a ring around the range for a healthy human ear.

 

0 Hz − 20 Hz  10 Hz − 10 000 Hz  20 Hz − 20 000 Hz

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1b2 marks

Explain the meaning of the term ultrasound.

1c3 marks

A student listens to two different sounds, P and Q.

  The two different sounds are represented on a computer screen on the same scale.

  Fig. 8.1 shows the screens.

18-32-5a

State and explain how sound P is different from sound Q.

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2a3 marks

The boxes contain words about waves.

Complete each sentence. Choose a term from each box.

 

(i)

an electromagnetic a longitudinal a transverse

 

 Sound travels as .............................................. wave.

[1]

 

(ii)

amplitude pitch speed wavelength

 

A loud sound has a large .............................................. .

[1]

 

(iii)

amplitude pitch speed wavelength

A student listens to two sounds. The sound with the higher frequency has a higher .............................................. .

[1]

 

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2b2 marks

Explain what is meant by the term ultrasound.

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3a5 marks

Sound travels as a wave.

Complete each sentence.

 

Sound is produced when an object .............................. .

An echo is produced when sound is .............................. from a hard surface.

Compared with a quiet sound, a loud sound always has a greater ........................... .

Compared with a high pitched sound, a low pitched sound always has a smaller ....................... .

 

Waves transfer energy without transferring ................................ .

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3b1 mark

State the meaning of the term ultrasound.

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4a3 marks

Fig. 6.1 shows crests of a sound wave after reflection from a solid surface.

image-2

Fig 6.1

In Fig. 6.1, draw three crests of the incident wave.

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4b3 marks

Tick four statements in the list below that are false for a sound wave that is audible to a healthy human ear.

 

The wave is longitudinal. square

The wave is transverse. square

The frequency of the wave is 1 Hz. square

The frequency of the wave is 1 kHz. square

The frequency of the wave is 1 MHz. square

The wave travels in a vacuum. square

The wave could travel in aluminium. square

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4c1 mark

State a typical value for the speed of a sound wave in water.

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5a2 marks

The speed of sound waves can be measured in different ways.

    

State a reasonable value for the speed of sound in air which the calculations resulting from any experimental method should find.

5b6 marks

One method to find the speed of sound in air involves two people who stand a distance apart and then measure the time a sound takes to travel between them, as shown in Fig. 1.

3-4-5b-e-speed-of-sound-in-air-physics

(i) For this investigation, complete the sentences describing the method.                           

  1. Two people stand a distance of at least _____ apart.

  2. The distance between them is measured using a _______

  3. One person has two wooden blocks, which they bang together above their head.

  4. The second person has a _______ which they start when they see the first person banging the blocks together and stops when they hear the sound.

  5. This is then ________ several times and an ______ is taken for the time.

[5]

(ii) State the equation used to calculate the speed of sound following this investigation.

[1]

5c7 marks

Another method to find the speed of sound in air uses echoes as shown in Fig. 2.

3-4-5c-e-echo-physics

(i) For this investigation, complete the sentences describing the method.                 

  1. A person stands at least _____ away from a wall

  2. The distance is measured using a ______

  3. The person claps two wooden blocks together and listens for the echo.

  4. A second person has a stopwatch and starts timing when they hear the _____ and stops timing when they hear the ______

  5. This is then ________ several times and an ______ is taken for the time.

[6]

(ii) State the equation used to calculate the speed of sound following this investigation.

[1]

5d10 marks

A third method to find the speed of sound in air uses as oscilloscope, as shown in Fig. 3.

3-4-5d-e-oscilloscope-physics

                                             

(i) For this investigation, complete the sentences describing the method.

  1. Two ______ are connected to an oscilloscope and placed about _______ apart

  2. A ______ is used to measure the distance

  3. The oscilloscope is set up so that it triggers when the _______ microphone detects a sound

  4. The time base is adjusted so that the sound arriving at both microphones can be seen on the screen

  5. Two wooden blocks are used to make a large clap next to the ______ microphone

  6. The oscilloscope is then used to determine the ________ between the sound arriving at each microphone

  7. This is ________ several times and an _______ time difference calculated

[8]

(ii) Complete the equation used to calculate the speed of sound following this investigation.

s p e e d space o f space s o u n d space equals space fraction numerator................... over denominator................... end fraction

[2]

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1a3 marks

Fig. 8.1 shows a tuning fork and a wooden block.

18p3-8a

(i) The tuning fork is hit against the wooden block and then makes a sound.

Describe how the tuning fork produces the sound.

[1]

 

(ii) The tuning fork produces a sound with a frequency of 659Hz.

State whether a healthy human ear can hear this frequency of sound.

Explain your answer.

[2]

1b2 marks

Fig. 8.2 represents the sound wave produced by a tuning fork.

 

18p3-8b

A second tuning fork produces a different sound.

  Compared with the sound represented in Fig. 8.2, this sound is quieter and has half the frequency.

On Fig. 8.2, draw the wave to show the sound produced by the second tuning fork.

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2a3 marks

A vibrating source on a ship produces a sound wave that travels through the ocean. The wave produced is a longitudinal wave.

Explain what is meant by the term longitudinal wave.

2b3 marks

Extended tier only

The frequency of the sound wave is 800Hz.

 

(i) The speed of sound in air is 330m/s.

  State a typical value for the speed of sound in a liquid.

[1]

 

(ii) Using your value from (b)(i), calculate the wavelength of the sound wave in the ocean.

  

wavelength = ...........................................................[2]

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3a5 marks

A boat race starts on the sea, but close to land. Fig. 9.1 shows the boats at the start of the race.

screenshot-2022-10-20-at-10-58-05

On the land, a cannon produces a loud bang to start the race. There is a flash of light at the same time as the bang.

   

(i) At the start of the race, the sailors watch for the flash of light from the cannon.

Suggest why the sailors watch for the flash of light rather than listen for the bang.

[1]

 

(ii) One of the sailors is 500 m from the cannon. She measures a time difference of 1.6 seconds between seeing the flash of light and hearing the bang.

 Calculate the speed of sound.

 

speed of sound = ................................................ m/s [3]

 

(iii) The value of the speed of sound obtained in (a)(ii) is lower than expected.

Suggest a reason for this difference.

[1]

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3b2 marks

The race is held close to a part of the coast with high cliffs. A sailor hears a second bang shortly after the first bang. 

State the term for the second bang and explain how it is produced.

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4a3 marks

Complete the sentences about sound. Use words from the box above each sentence.

 

(i)

glows

reflects

refracts

vibrates

 

   Sound is produced when a source ..............................................

[1]

 

(ii)

electromagnetic

longitudinal

transverse

 

   Sound waves are .............................................. waves.

[1]

 

(iii)

metal

vacuum

liquid

 

   Sound waves cannot travel through a ..............................................

[1]

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4b5 marks

Humans, elephants, mice and dolphins have different hearing ranges. Fig. 8.1 shows the hearing range for each type of animal.

q8b

(i) State the lowest frequency of sound that can be heard by mice.

 .......................Hz [1]

 

(ii) State the highest frequency of sound that can be heard by elephants.

 .......................Hz [1]

 

(iii) Explain how the chart shows that elephants can hear some sounds that humans cannot hear.

  [2]

 

(iv) State the term given to the high frequencies that dolphins can hear but humans cannot hear.

[1]

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5a3 marks

Extended tier only

Fig. 6.1 represents a sound wave of wavelength 0.45m travelling from left to right.

q6

On Fig. 6.1:

 

(i) at the centre of a compression, mark a cross and label it C.

[1]

 

(ii) at the centre of a rarefaction, mark a cross and label it R.

[1]

 

(iii) draw a double-headed arrow to represent a distance of 0.90 m.

[1]

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5b2 marks

The frequency of the wave is 750 Hz.

Calculate the speed of the wave.

 

 

speed = ...........................................................

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5c1 mark

Extended tier only

Suggest a medium through which the sound wave is travelling and state your reasoning.

5d2 marks

Another type of wave that consists of compressions and rarefactions is ultrasound. 

(i) State one other similarity between sound of frequency 750 Hz and ultrasound.

[1]

(ii) State one way in which sound of frequency 750 Hz is different from ultrasound.

[1]

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1a4 marks

A student is listening to the sound produced by a tuning fork.

(i) State how the tuning fork produces the sound.

[1]

(ii) State the type of wave a sound wave is.

[1]

(iii) A loudspeaker produces a sound with a frequency of 25 kHz.

A student with healthy ears cannot hear this sound. Explain why.

[2]

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1b2 marks

Fig. 8.2 represents a sound wave travelling in air.

screenshot-2022-10-13-at-16-07-56

(i) The air particles are moving. On Fig. 8.2, draw two arrows in opposite directions to show the movement of the air particles.

[1]

(ii) Use Fig. 8.2 to determine the wavelength of the sound wave.

 

wavelength = ...................................................... cm [1]

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1c4 marks

Describe a method of using water waves to demonstrate refraction.

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2a2 marks

This question is about measuring the speed of sound in air.

A student stands in front of a large wall. She hits a drum and hears an echo. Fig. 8.1 shows the position of the student and the wall.

q8

(i) State the name of a piece of equipment for measuring the distance from the student to the wall.

[1]

 

(ii) Explain how sound forms an echo.

[1]

2b4 marks

The student hits her drum repeatedly once per second. She walks away from the wall and listens for the echo. When the student is 170m from the wall she hears the echo from one beat of the drum at the same time as the next beat of the drum.

Use this information to determine the speed of sound. State the unit.

 

speed = .......................................................... 

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3a2 marks

A source of sound has frequency f. Sound of wavelength λ is produced by the source.

  

(i) State what is meant by the frequency of the source.

[1]

(ii) State the distance moved, in terms of the wavelength, λ by a wavefront during n oscillations of the source.

[1]

3b3 marks

Use your answers from part (a) to derive the wave equation.

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3c2 marks

The waveform of a sound wave produced on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.) is shown in Fig. 1.

3-4-3c-h-cro-1

Each 1 cm division on the horizontal axis of the c.r.o. screen represents 2.0 ms.

Determine the frequency of the sound wave.

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4a3 marks

Extended tier only

An ultrasound medical scanning device generates ultrasound waves at a frequency of 2.5 MHz.

The speed of ultrasound in air = 350 m/s

The speed of ultrasound in the soft tissues of the body = 1550 m/s.

Explain why the speed of ultrasound in soft tissue is faster than in air.

4b4 marks

Calculate the wavelength of the ultrasound waves emitted as they pass through

   

(i) Air

[3]

(ii) Soft tissue

[1]

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4c3 marks

Extended tier only

Shorter wavelengths allow for higher resolution, meaning that more and smaller details can been imaged using ultrasound. 

Use your knowledge of sound and other waves to explain why radiologists may not use the shortest wavelengths possible when scanning patients.

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5a2 marks

The text describes the process by which scientists worked towards the current accepted value for the speed of sound.

Read the text then answer the questions relating to it.

   

Measuring the speed of sound in air

1

 After the wave nature of sound had been identified, many attempts were made to measure its speed in air. 

 

The earliest known attempt was made by the French scientist Gassendi in the 17th century. 

 

Gassendi timed the interval between seeing the flash of a gun and hearing the bang from some distance away.

 

He assumed that, compared with the speed of sound, the speed of light is infinite.

5

Gassendi concluded that the speed of sound was 480 m/s. 

 

A much better value of 350 m/s was obtained by the Italian physicists Borelli and Viviani using the same procedure.

 

In 1738 a value of 332 m/s was obtained by scientists in Paris.

 

This is remarkably close to the currently accepted value considering the measuring equipment available to the scientists at that time.

 

In 1740 another Italian, Bianconi, showed that sound travels faster when the temperature of the air is greater.

10

Since 1986 the accepted value for the speed of sound has been 331.29 m/s at 0 °C.

    

Explain why Gassendi needed to assume that ‘compared with the speed of sound, the speed of light is infinite’ (line 4).

5b3 marks

Use Gassendi’s value for the speed of sound (line 5) to calculate the time between seeing the flash of a gun and hearing the sound if the observer was standing 2.5 km from the gun.

time = ____________________ s

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5c1 mark

The value obtained by Borelli and Viviani is described as being ‘much better’ than that obtained by Gassendi (line 6).

Explain why modern writers would judge this result as 'much better'.

5d4 marks

The passage refers to Bianconi's discovery that the speed of sound in air depends on temperature (line 9).

The equation to find the speed of sound in dry air can be written

c space equals space k square root of open parentheses theta space plus space 273.15 close parentheses end root

Where θ is the temperature in °C, and k is a constant.

Calculate a value for k using data from the passage. You do not need to give units for k.

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