Eighth Grade
Standard IV: Objective 1:
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following does NOT travel as a wave?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sound energy
Light energy
Earthquake energy
Wind energy
2. What does the wavelength of a wave indicate?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Loudness
Energy
Intensity
Crest
3. How are sound and light waves different?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sound has wavelengths, light does not
Sound can be measured, light cannot
Light travels through space, sound cannot
Light travels more slowly than sound
4. What does white light traveling through a prism reveal?
A.
B.
C.
D.
light moves extremely fast
light can go through glass
light is composed of different wavelengths
light is found in all places in the known universe
5. What happens to the speed of sound waves as they travel from air through water?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Increases
Decreases
Remains the same
Stops traveling
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6. What happens to the speed of sound waves as air temperature increases?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Increases
Decreases
Remains the same
Stops traveling when you reach 100°C
7. What type of wave travels the fastest?
A. Sound
B. Light
C. Earthquake
D. Ocean
8. What happens to the noise level as the energy of sound waves increases?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Increases
Decreases
Remains the same
More complex pitches develop
9. How are a raindrop and a glass prism alike?
A.
B.
C.
D.
they are shaped like a pyramid
they are made of water and air
they fall from the sky
they separate white light into colors
Use the figures below to answer questions 1-3. All pictures are drawn to the same
scale.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
2
Figure 4
10. Which one has the greatest amplitude?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
11. Which one has the highest frequency?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
12. Which on has the longest wavelength?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Use the chart below to answer the next 3 questions
Substance
Speed
Air at 0°C
331 m/s
Air at 25°C
346 m/s
Water at 25°C
1498 m/s
Steel
5200 m/s
13. What is the relationship between the speed of sound and the density of the
substance it travels through?
A. The more dense the medium, the faster it travels
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B. The less dense the medium, the faster it travels
C. The density of the medium does not affect the speed of sound
D. Sound travels the fastest in gas mediums
14. What would you estimate the speed of sound to be if it traveled through water at 0°C?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Slower than air at 25°C
Faster than Steel
Faster than water at 25°C
Slower than Water at 25°C
15. What is the best explanation for the difference between the speed of sound in air at
different temperatures, 0° C and 25° C?
A. Air at 25° C is more dense than air at 0° C and the sound waves travel more slowly in
the warmer air.
B. Air at 0° C is more dense than air at 25° C and the sound waves travel more slowly in
the cooler air.
C. Air particles at 0° C are more flexible and allow sound travels to travel more quickly
than air at 25° C.
D. There is no reasonable explanation for the difference
Two students wish to measure the speed of sound in water. They go to one end of a
swimming pool and strike a bell with a hammer underwater. They time how long it takes
for the sound to reach the other end of the pool. This table shows their data:
1
.12
2
.15
3
.08
4
.11
5
.12
Trial
6
.09
7
.10
8
.18
16. Why did the students do 10 trials instead of 1?
a.
b.
c.
d.
their experiment was not well designed.
all scientific tests must be done at least 10 times.
when more tests are done, the data are more trustworthy.
the speed of sound varies when waves go through the water.
17. How could these data be best analyzed?
a. do a graph of the data over time.
b. measure the length of a sound wave.
c. find the mathematical average of the trials.
4
9
.13
10
.12
d. look up information about sound in the dictionary.
18. You can estimate how far away a lightning bolt strikes by counting the seconds
between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder. Why does this work?
a.
b.
c.
d.
sound waves travel more slowly through air than light waves.
sound waves travel slowly through the ear canal before they can be heard.
sound waves cannot travel through empty space, they need a medium.
sound waves spread out from a source in circles and light does not.
19. An experiment in the 1700’s tried to measure the speed of light with a clock by timing
how long it took light to travel from one lighthouse to another. The experiment failed. The
speed of light was eventually measured when astronomers measured the time it took light
to travel from a planet to Earth. How did technology limit the first experiment?
a. light cannot be measured as it travels through Earth’s atmosphere.
b. light travels too fast for a clock to measure in short distances.
c. a clock will slow down when traveling at the speed of light.
d. a clock cannot be used unless Earth’s rotation is calculated.
20. Isaac Newton wondered what light was made of. He thought light was white and
found all over the universe. When he shined light through a prism, he saw the colors of
the rainbow. He concluded that light is a combination of different wavelengths. Which
evidence supports his conclusion?
a.
b.
c.
d.
light is white.
light is found all over the universe.
light separates into colors.
light has different wavelengths.
Essay
1. Draw a picture showing how energy spreads away from an energy source. What
happens to the amount of energy over time?
2. Describe the relationship of pitch between equal sized jars filled with water at different
heights.
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Answers:
1. D
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. A
6. A
7. B
8. A
9. D
10. D
11. C
12. A
13. A
14. D
15. C
16. C
17. C
18. A
19. B
20. C
Sample Answers:
1. Energy travels in waves away from the source. As the energy travels, the waves
become farther and farther apart but they do not lose energy. Energy can not be created
or destroyed but instead will change forms. For example, sound or light energy will
change to heat energy. The energy will always travel in waves regardless of its form or its
amount.
2. The pitch of a jar filled with water depends on the amount of air above the water to
create the vibrations. If the jar is close to full, the air column above will be short and
therefore create a high pitch. If the jar is nearly empty, the air column about will be long
and therefore create a low pitch.
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