AQA GCSE Physics: Combined Science

Topic Questions

GCSEPhysics: Combined ScienceAQATopic Questions6. Waves6.1 Waves in Air, Fluids & Solids

6.1 Waves in Air, Fluids & Solids

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1a3 marks

Waves can either be transverse or longitudinal

Describe the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves.

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1b2 marks

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal wave.

Figure 1fig-1-q1b-6-1-easy-aqa-gcse-physics

Add labels to Figure 1, showing clearly what is meant by the terms:

Compression                             Rarefaction

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1c1 mark

Figure 2 below shows a duck floating on the surface of a pond.

Figure 2

fig-2-q1c-6-1-easy-aqa-gcse-physics

As waves pass beneath the duck, they cause the duck to move.

Add arrows to Figure 2 showing the direction in which the duck will move.

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2a4 marks

A low-frequency sound wave received by a microphone is represented as a transverse wave on an oscilloscope. 

Figure 1 shows a transverse wave's displacement against time.

Figure 1

6-1-e-2a-sound-wave-transverse

Calculate the frequency of this wave and give the units. 

   

   

Frequency = .................................... Units: ..............

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2b1 mark

State the amplitude of the wave in Figure 1.   

   

Amplitude = .................................... m

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3a2 marks

Water waves are passing a buoy floating out at sea in Figure 1.

Figure 1

6-1-e-3a-buoy

It takes 2 minutes for 10 complete surface waves to pass the buoy. 

Calculate the period of one wave.   

   

Period = .................................... s

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3b2 marks

Calculate the frequency of the waves.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

   

   

Frequency (2 significant figures) = .................................... Hz

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3c3 marks

The buoy is 150 m from the shore.

A lifeguard counts 12 waves between the buoy and the shore at any one time.

Calculate the speed of the waves. 

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.   

   

Wave speed (2 significant figures) = .................................... m/s

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3d1 mark

The wind picks up and the wave speed doubles.

The wavelength remains the same.

Describe how this will affect the frequency.

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1a3 marks

On a beach popular with surfers, one is watching a buoy move up and down with the waves, in Figure 1. 

Figure 1

6-1-e-3a-buoy

She decides to plot a graph of how the height of the buoy varies with time - this is Figure 2.

Figure 2

6-1-h-1a

Using a stopwatch, she measures the time from the buoy at its highest point to the peak of the 7th and smallest wave.

This takes 24.5 s.

Calculate the frequency of the waves.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

   

   

Frequency (2 significant figures) = .................................... Hz

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1b3 marks

The surfer knows the distance to the buoy from the shore. 

Describe a method by which the surfer could determine the speed of the waves accurately.

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1c3 marks

The surfer determines that the wave speed is a value between 3.5 m/s and 4.5 m/s.

Calculate the possible range of wavelengths of the waves.

Give your answers to 2 significant figures.

   

   

Wavelength is between .............................. m and .............................. m

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1d1 mark

Suggest why the surfer could only give a range of values for wave speed.

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2a6 marks

Students in a classroom are trying to calculate the speed of different waves along a string. The equipment provided is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

screenshot-2023-03-06-at-13-55-00

Describe an experiment, using the equipment in Figure 1, that would allow the students to determine the wave speed of different waves along the string.

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2b4 marks

The students double the frequency each time they perform the experiment and sketch the waves they observe. These sketches are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

screenshot-2023-03-06-at-16-58-42

One of the student makes the conclusion:

"The frequency is doubling so the speed must also be increasing".

Explain why this statement is incorrect and describe how the speed varies.

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2c2 marks

The students finish early and start a second experiment to study the effect of varying tension force in the string. 

They add mass to the end of the string and vary the frequency until they produce the following wave on the string:

Figure 3

screenshot-2023-03-06-at-17-21-50

They then add more mass and change the frequency until the pattern from Figure 3 appears again.

They then determine the tension and wave speed at each wave speed.

State the dependent and independent variables in their experiment. 

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2d1 mark

Name the variable the students must control in this second experiment.

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1a2 marks

Figure 3 shows a transverse wave.

Figure 3

fig-3-q1-6-1-medium-aqa-gcse-physics

Which of the arrows shown in Figure 3 correspond to the waves:

Amplitude ____________

Wavelength ____________

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1b6 marks

Some students plan to investigate the properties of water waves.

Figure 4 shows the apparatus that they decide to use.

Figure 4

fig-4-6-1-medium-aqa-gcse-physics

Describe a method that they could use to measure the speed, frequency and wavelength of the waves.

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1c3 marks

The ripple tank produces waves with a time period of 24 milliseconds.

Calculate the frequency of the waves.

Give your unit

Give your answer to 3 significant figures.

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2a4 marks

Two girls stand some distance away from a wall and clap two wooden blocks together. The sound from the blocks reflects from the wall, producing an echo.

They then continue to clap the blocks together, timing each clap so it is in time with each echo.

This is shown in Figure 5 below:

Figure 5

fig-5-q2-6-1-medium-aqa-medium-physics

Describe how they can use the above method to determine the speed of sound, stating clearly what measurements they must take.

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2b3 marks

The girls estimate the speed of sound to be 340 m / s.

The sounds they produce have an average frequency of 1020 Hz.

Calculate the wavelength of the sound waves.

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33 marks

P-waves travel with an average speed of about 7000 m/s.

Some P-waves are produced by a minor earthquake and detected a short while later by a seismometer 3000 km away.

Calculate how long it will take the P-waves to reach the seismometer.

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