Integrated Physics and Chemistry TEKS Correlations
(5) Science concepts. The student knows the effects of waves on everyday life.
The student is expected to:
(A)demonstrate wave types and their characteristics through a variety of activities such as modeling with ropes and coils, activating tuning forks, and interpreting data on seismic waves;
87.
Students were studying how environmental factors affect the speed of sound. Using the setup described in
the diagram below, they collected the following data over five days.
100 meters
Day
Temperature
(C°)
Humidity
(%)
Time to hear drum
(s)
1
Trial:
2
Average of
trials
(s)
3
1
21
70
.29
.28
.31
.29
2
26
35
.32
.30
.33
.32
3
18
50
.25
.28
.26
.26
4
35
20
.37
.39
.40
.39
5
15
85
.23
.22
.20
.22
What conclusion is best supported by these data?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The speed of sound is related to the type of instrument played.
At higher air temperatures, the speed of sound travels faster.
The higher the humidity levels, the slower that sound travels.
The speed of sound is related to both air temperature and humidity levels.
Charles A. Dana Center
Science TEKS Toolkit
www.sciencetekstoolkit.org
88.
Each string in a guitar produces a sound with a different pitch because the strings 
A.
B.
C.
D.
89.
When a wave moves from the deep ocean into shallow water it begins to change. The wave speed and wave
length decrease by half. The effect of these changes is 
A.
B.
C.
D.
90.
vibrate at different frequencies
produce similar wavelengths
have waves with different amplitudes
have waves that move at similar speeds
an increase in the wave’s height
a decrease in the wave’s frequency
an increase in the wave’s temperature
a decrease in the wave’s force
In which of the following environments would the sound waves produced by hitting together two metal
pipes travel fastest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Underwater
In the classroom
On top of a mountain
In outer space
Sound waves can easily be investigated in a classroom laboratory or outside. This is one
reason why 3 of the 4 items in this section (items 87-90) focus on sound. The other is that high
school students are usually very interested in sound, since they are very interested in music.
The item that focuses on water waves was used because of increased awareness of tsunamis.
This gives students a reason to understand these concepts.
Charles A. Dana Center
Science TEKS Toolkit
www.sciencetekstoolkit.org