Name ____________________________
Date ____________________ Class _____________
Characteristics of Waves
Chapter Test A
Multiple Choice
Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.
______ 1. Mechanical waves are created when a source of energy causes a medium to
a. move.
c. expand.
b. compress.
d. vibrate.
______ 2. Waves that move the particles of the medium parallel to the direction in
which the waves are traveling are called
a. longitudinal waves.
c. surface waves.
b. transverse waves.
d. combination waves.
______ 3. The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave is the wave’s
a. amplitude.
c. frequency.
b. wavelength.
d. speed.
______ 4. The speed of a wave is its wavelength multiplied by its
a. amplitude.
c. frequency.
b. vibration.
d. reflection.
______ 5. The maximum distance that the particles of a medium move from the rest
position is the
a. amplitude of the wave.
b. wavelength of the wave.
c. frequency of the wave.
d. speed of the wave.
______ 6. The interaction between two waves that meet is called
a. reflection.
c. diffraction.
b. refraction.
d. interference.
______ 7. What occurs when vibrations traveling through an object match the object’s
natural frequency?
a. reflection
c. diffraction
b. refraction
d. resonance
1
Chapter Tests
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Name ____________________________
Date ____________________ Class _____________
Characteristics of Waves (continued)
______ 8. Waves combine to produce a smaller or zero-amplitude wave in a process
called
a. destructive interference.
c. reflection.
b. constructive interference.
d. refraction.
______ 9. Mechanical waves are classified according to
a. their size.
c. how they move.
b. their shape.
d. their source.
______ 10. Why do you see lightning from a distant storm before you hear thunder?
a. The thunder is produced after the lightning.
b. Your eyes react faster than your ears.
c. Light travels faster than sound.
d. Sound travels faster than light.
Completion
Fill in the line to complete each statement.
11. The more ____________________ a mechanical wave has, the greater its amplitude.
12. As the frequency of a wave traveling at constant speed increases, its ____________________
decreases.
13. In ____________________ interference, the energy of the combined wave is greater than the
energy of each of the two waves.
14. The crests and troughs of a standing wave are called ____________________.
15. In a longitudinal wave moving along a spring, areas where the coils are farthest apart are
called ____________________.
True or False
If the statement is true, write true. If it is false, change the underlined word or words to make the
statement true.
____________
16. In transverse waves, the particles of the medium move at right angles to the
direction in which the wave is traveling.
____________
17. A wave bending as it passes a point of land is an example of refraction.
____________
18. Nodes are points on a standing wave where the amplitude of the wave is
maximum.
____________
19. Surface waves combine the properties of transverse and longitudinal waves
so that the particles in the wave move with a(n) up-and-down motion.
____________
20. Waves that require a medium through which to travel are called
electromagnetic waves.
2
Chapter Tests
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Name ____________________________
Date ____________________ Class _____________
Characteristics of Waves (continued)
Using Science Skills
Use the figure below to answer the following questions in the spaces provided.
21. What does the person transfer to the rope by pulling it up and down at point A?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
22. What kind of wave is being generated?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
23. In what direction does the medium move relative to the direction of the wave? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Essay
Write an answer for each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
24. How can you measure the wavelength of a transverse wave? Of a longitudinal wave?
25. What causes refraction?
3
Chapter Tests
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Name ____________________________
Date ____________________ Class _____________
Characteristics of Waves (continued)
Using Science Skills
Use the figure below to answer the following questions in the spaces provided.
26. What type of mechanical wave is produced by the action of this coiled spring?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
27. Name and describe the parts of the wave labeled A and B.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
28. What determines the amplitude of a wave of the type shown?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Essay
Write an answer for each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
29. Compare and contrast the motions of ocean waves with the motions of longitudinal and
transverse waves.
30. What is interference? Describe the effect of each of the two types of wave interference on
amplitude.
4
Chapter Tests
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.