Practice Waves in Physics

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

Quick Recap

A disturbance that transfers energy through space or a medium without transferring matter.

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

Example 1

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

Example 2

medium
A wave pulse travels along a rope at 4 \text{ m/s}. The rope is 12 \text{ m} long with one end fixed. How long does it take for the pulse to travel to the fixed end and return?

Example 3

medium
Water waves in a ripple tank have a wavelength of 0.03 \text{ m} and travel at 0.12 \text{ m/s}. What is the frequency? How many complete waves pass a point in 15 \text{ s}?

Example 4

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