Practice Waves in Physics

Use these practice problems to test your method after reviewing the concept explanation and worked examples.

Worksheet PDF Free Answer-key PDF Family

Quick Recap

A disturbance that transfers energy and information through space or a medium without permanently displacing the matter it travels through.

Energy traveling through something—like ripples on water. The water stays put; the ripple moves.

Showing a random 20 of 50 problems.

Example 1

medium
A wave's frequency is doubled in the same medium while speed stays fixed. What happens to its wavelength?

Example 2

easy
Give one everyday example of a mechanical wave.

Example 3

medium
A tsunami in deep water travels at about 200 m/s200 \text{ m/s}. If its wavelength is 400 km400 \text{ km}, how many minutes pass between successive crests at a fixed point in the ocean?

Example 4

hard
A wave on a string has the equation y(x,t)=0.05sin⁡(4πx−8πt)y(x,t) = 0.05 \sin(4\pi x - 8\pi t) (SI units). What are the amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and wave speed?

Example 5

challenge
A wave travels 600 m in a medium in 2.0 s. Along the way you count 150 complete wavelengths. Find the wavelength and the frequency.

Example 6

medium
A longitudinal sound wave travels through air at 343 m/s343 \text{ m/s}. A tuning fork creates a wave with wavelength 0.686 m0.686 \text{ m}. What is the period of the wave?

Example 7

challenge
A guitar string of length 0.65 m0.65 \text{ m} has wave speed 260 m/s260 \text{ m/s}. What are the frequencies of the first three harmonics (modes with n=1,2,3n = 1, 2, 3 half-wavelengths)?

Example 8

hard
A wave on a string is described by y(x,t)=0.02sin⁡(8x−24t)y(x,t) = 0.02 \sin(8x - 24t) in SI units. Find (a) amplitude, (b) wavelength, (c) frequency, and (d) speed.

Example 9

medium
Why is space described as 'silent' even when stars explode?

Example 10

easy
A wave has a frequency of 5 Hz5 \text{ Hz} and a wavelength of 2 m2 \text{ m}. What is the wave speed? How far does the wave travel in 10 s10 \text{ s}?

Example 11

medium
Explain why two boats far apart can each rock in place even though the same wave passes both.

Example 12

medium
An ocean wave travels 48 m48 \text{ m} in 12 s12 \text{ s}. If its wavelength is 6 m6 \text{ m}, what is its frequency?

Example 13

easy
Name the two broad categories of waves based on whether they need a medium.

Example 14

easy
A wave passes through a string. Do the string particles travel along the string with the wave?

Example 15

medium
A transverse wave on a string has speed 20 m/s20 \text{ m/s} and frequency 50 Hz50 \text{ Hz}. (a) What is its wavelength? (b) How far does a wave crest travel in 0.6 s0.6 \text{ s}?

Example 16

medium
Sound from a bell and light from a flash leave at the same instant from a distant lighthouse. Which reaches you first, and what does that tell you about wave speeds?

Example 17

hard
An observer hears a 1000 Hz1000 \text{ Hz} siren on a stationary ambulance. The ambulance then moves toward the observer at 34 m/s34 \text{ m/s}. If the speed of sound is 340 m/s340 \text{ m/s}, what frequency does the observer hear?

Example 18

medium
A wave's pattern travels 12 m in 4 s. What is the speed of the pattern?

Example 19

medium
A mechanical wave and an electromagnetic wave both reach a region of vacuum. Which one continues, and why?

Example 20

medium
A wave is described by y(x,t)=0.05sin⁡(4πx−10πt)y(x,t) = 0.05 \sin(4\pi x - 10\pi t) where xx and yy are in meters and tt is in seconds. What is the wave's speed?
← Back to Waves Worked Examples