Question 1
The graph shows the displacement of particles in a string against position at one instant for a travelling wave.
Determine the amplitude of the wave.
[1]
Determine the wavelength of the wave.
[1]
The frequency is 12 Hz. Calculate the wave speed.
[2]
Question 2
The diagram represents a longitudinal wave in a spring at one instant.
Identify one labelled compression.
[1]
Identify one labelled rarefaction.
[1]
State the direction of oscillation of the coils relative to the direction of wave travel.
[1]
Explain why the diagram does not show a net transport of the spring along the wave.
[1]
Question 3
A student records the sound from a loudspeaker using two microphones. The table gives the separation of the microphones when their oscilloscope traces are in phase for a constant-frequency sound.
| In-phase setting | Microphone separation / m |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.344 |
| 2 | 0.687 |
| 3 | 1.031 |
| 4 | 1.374 |
| 5 | 1.718 |
| 6 | 2.060 |
Determine the mean separation between successive in-phase positions.
[2]
State what this mean separation represents.
[1]
The signal generator frequency is known. Explain how the speed of sound is found.
[1]
Suggest why using several in-phase positions is better than using one pair of positions.
[1]
Question 4
The graph shows approximate wavelength ranges for regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Identify the region containing radiation of wavelength .
[1]
Identify the region with the shortest wavelengths shown.
[1]
Calculate the frequency of radiation of wavelength in vacuum.
[2]
State why all regions shown are classified as electromagnetic waves.
[1]
Question 5
A sensor measures the intensity of light from a small lamp at different distances. The graph shows the variation of intensity with distance.
Describe how the intensity changes as distance increases.
[1]
Use the graph to determine whether doubling the distance approximately quarters the intensity.
[2]
Explain why this behaviour is expected for a point source.
[2]
Question 6
A sequence of displacement–distance graphs shows a transverse wave on a string at equal time intervals.
Determine the direction of propagation of the wave pattern.
[1]
Determine the speed of the wave pattern.
[2]
For the labelled particle P, state its direction of motion at the first instant shown.
[1]
Explain why P does not have the speed found in (b).
[1]
Question 7
The table gives measurements for waves produced in the same stretched string when the driving frequency is changed.
| Driving frequency / Hz | Measured wavelength / m |
|---|---|
| 12.0 | 2.00 |
| 16.0 | 1.50 |
| 20.0 | — |
| 24.0 | 1.00 |
| 30.0 | 0.80 |
Complete the missing value of wavelength for one row.
[1]
Determine the wave speed for each row using the data.
[2]
State the relationship between frequency and wavelength for this string.
[1]
Explain why the wave speed is approximately constant.
[1]
Question 8
A smartphone app records the arrival of two sharp sounds made at known positions along a track. The table gives the separation of the sound source and phone and the recorded travel time.
| Trial | Distance / m | Travel time / s |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20.0 | 0.058 |
| 2 | 30.0 | 0.088 |
| 3 | 40.0 | 0.117 |
| 4 | 50.0 | 0.129 |
| 5 | 60.0 | 0.176 |
| 6 | 70.0 | 0.205 |
Use one trial to calculate the speed of sound.
[1]
Use all the data to estimate a best value for the speed of sound.
[2]
Identify one anomalous result, if present.
[1]
Suggest one improvement to reduce percentage uncertainty in the timing.
[1]
Question 9
Light of different colours travels from air into a transparent material. The table gives the frequency of each light and its speed in the material.
| Colour | Frequency / Hz | Speed / m s⁻¹ |
|---|---|---|
| Red | 4.30 × 10¹⁴ | 2.04 × 10⁸ |
| Yellow | 5.20 × 10¹⁴ | 2.02 × 10⁸ |
| Green | 5.60 × 10¹⁴ | 2.01 × 10⁸ |
| Blue | 6.40 × 10¹⁴ | 1.99 × 10⁸ |
| Violet | 7.20 × 10¹⁴ | 1.97 × 10⁸ |
Calculate the wavelength in the material for one colour.
[2]
Compare the wavelength of this colour in the material with its wavelength in air.
[1]
Explain why the frequency is unchanged at the boundary.
[1]
Suggest why different colours may leave a prism in different directions.
[1]
Question 10
A detector measures electromagnetic radiation from a small source. The graph shows intensity against , where is the distance from the source.
State what feature of the graph would support an inverse square relationship.
[1]
Use the graph to determine the emitted power of the source.
[2]
Identify one reason for a non-zero intercept, if present.
[1]
Explain why the model may fail very close to the source.
[1]
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