Waves questions

By Interwoven Maths

Waves question collection

Review Waves questions for Physics, with correct answers shown and coverage across wave properties; wave speed calculations; reflection and refraction.

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Question 1

What does a wave transfer from one place to another?
  1. Energy
  2. Mass
  3. Matter
  4. Electrical charge

Question 2

Which word describes the distance between successive crests on a wave?
  1. Wavelength
  2. Amplitude
  3. Frequency
  4. Period

Question 3

Frequency is measured in which units?
  1. Hertz (Hz)
  2. Metres per second (m/s)
  3. Newtons (N)
  4. Watts (W)

Question 4

What is amplitude?
  1. The maximum displacement from the rest position
  2. The number of waves per second
  3. The number of crests and troughs combined
  4. The speed at which the wave travels

Question 5

Which type of wave is formed by compressions and rarefactions in a medium?
  1. Longitudinal
  2. Transverse
  3. Electromagnetic
  4. Circular

Question 6

Which type of wave is shown by ripples on the surface of water?
  1. Transverse
  2. Longitudinal
  3. Sound
  4. Ultrasonic

Question 7

Which equation links wave speed \(v\), frequency \(f\) and wavelength \(\lambda\)?
  1. \(v = f\lambda\)
  2. \(v = f + \lambda\)
  3. \(v = \frac{f}{\lambda}\)
  4. \(v = \frac{\lambda}{f}\)

Question 8

A wave travels at constant speed in a medium. If its frequency doubles, what happens to the wavelength?
  1. It halves
  2. It doubles
  3. It stays the same
  4. It becomes zero

Question 9

Which statement is true for sound waves?
  1. They are longitudinal and need a material medium
  2. They are transverse and travel in a vacuum
  3. They do not transfer energy
  4. They always travel faster than light

Question 10

Why is ultrasound used in medical imaging?
  1. It reflects from boundaries inside the body and helps build an image
  2. It ionises tissues to destroy cells
  3. It circulates the blood without reflection
  4. It travels slower than normal sound making it safe

Question 11

What happens when two identical waves arrive in phase?
  1. Their amplitudes add to give a larger wave
  2. They cancel completely
  3. They travel backwards
  4. They disappear into the medium

Question 12

When drawing a ray diagram for a plane mirror, what is true about the angles?
  1. Angle of incidence equals angle of reflection
  2. Angle of reflection is double the angle of incidence
  3. Angles are always \(90^\circ\)
  4. Angles are unrelated

Question 13

Why does refraction occur when a wave enters a different material?
  1. The wave changes speed and so its direction alters
  2. The wave loses energy thus shrinking
  3. The wave becomes stationary
  4. The wave splits into particles

Question 14

What is the name for a wave transferring energy into a material and heating it?
  1. Absorption
  2. Reflection
  3. Refraction
  4. Transmission

Question 15

Why can light travel through a vacuum but sound cannot?
  1. Light is electromagnetic so it needs no medium, sound does
  2. Light is heavier so travels better
  3. Sound has zero energy in a vacuum
  4. Light is a particle, sound is a wave

Question 16

Which technology uses waves to measure depth underwater?
  1. Sonar (ultrasound)
  2. Radar (radio waves)
  3. MRI (magnetic fields)
  4. Thermography (infrared)

Question 17

What do you call the reflection of sound from a surface that returns to the source?
  1. An echo
  2. A shadow
  3. A refraction
  4. A diffraction

Question 18

Which property of a sound wave determines its pitch?
  1. Frequency
  2. Amplitude
  3. Wavelength
  4. Energy

Question 19

What happens to the energy of a wave that is absorbed by a material?
  1. It transfers to the material, often heating it
  2. It disappears
  3. It creates new waves with zero energy
  4. It turns into magnetic fields only

Question 20

Which diagram tool shows how rays travel when forming images in mirrors or cameras?
  1. Ray diagram
  2. Periodogram
  3. Force diagram
  4. Distance-time graph

Question 21

Which wave property is directly linked to the energy carried by each pulse?
  1. Amplitude
  2. Frequency
  3. Wavelength
  4. Period

Question 22

Which equation links wave speed \(v\), frequency \(f\) and wavelength \(\lambda\)?
  1. \(v = f\lambda\)
  2. \(v = f + \lambda\)
  3. \(v = \frac{f}{\lambda}\)
  4. \(v = \frac{\lambda}{f}\)

Question 23

If a wave has wavelength \(0.2\,\mathrm{m}\) and frequency \(5\,\mathrm{Hz}\), what is its speed?
  1. \(1\,\mathrm{m/s}\)
  2. \(0.04\,\mathrm{m/s}\)
  3. \(25\,\mathrm{m/s}\)
  4. \(5\,\mathrm{m/s}\)

Question 24

What does a larger amplitude indicate about a wave?
  1. More energy transferred
  2. Lower frequency
  3. Slower speed
  4. Shorter wavelength

Question 25

How is period \(T\) related to frequency \(f\)?
  1. \(T = \frac{1}{f}\)
  2. \(T = f\)
  3. \(T = f^2\)
  4. \(T = f + 1\)

Question 26

What is the frequency of a wave with period \(0.1\,\mathrm{s}\)?
  1. \(10\,\mathrm{Hz}\)
  2. \(0.1\,\mathrm{Hz}\)
  3. \(100\,\mathrm{Hz}\)
  4. \(1\,\mathrm{Hz}\)

Question 27

Which type of wave needs a medium and is longitudinal?
  1. Sound wave
  2. Radio wave
  3. Light wave
  4. Ultraviolet wave

Question 28

Which statement describes electromagnetic waves?
  1. They travel at the same speed in a vacuum regardless of frequency
  2. They require a medium
  3. Their speed varies with intensity
  4. They only carry sound

Question 29

Which wave type can be polarized?
  1. Light wave
  2. Sound wave
  3. Seismic longitudinal wave
  4. Pressure wave in fluids

Question 30

According to the law of reflection, what does the angle of incidence equal?
  1. The angle of reflection
  2. The wavelength
  3. The angle of refraction
  4. The amplitude

Question 31

Why does refraction occur when a wave enters a new medium?
  1. Its speed changes causing direction change
  2. Amplitude becomes zero
  3. Frequency doubles
  4. It stops immediately

Question 32

When is diffraction most noticeable?
  1. When the gap size is close to the wavelength
  2. When the gap is much smaller than the wavelength
  3. When the waves are longitudinal only
  4. When it is underwater only

Question 33

In ultrasound imaging, what do pulses reflect from?
  1. Boundaries between materials of different densities
  2. Magnetic fields
  3. Color changes
  4. Electrical currents

Question 34

Which equation gives wave speed when you know distance and time?
  1. \(v = \frac{d}{t}\)
  2. \(v = dt\)
  3. \(v = d + t\)
  4. \(v = t / d\)

Question 35

Which property determines the pitch of a sound?
  1. Frequency
  2. Amplitude
  3. Wavelength
  4. Energy

Question 36

Why can light travel through a vacuum?
  1. It is an electromagnetic wave
  2. It is longitudinal
  3. It requires air
  4. It is always slow

Question 37

Which EM waves are appropriate for radar detection?
  1. Microwaves
  2. Infrared
  3. Ultraviolet
  4. Gamma

Question 38

Why are fiber optics useful for communication?
  1. Light suffers less attenuation and can carry data quickly
  2. Light slows down dramatically
  3. They require metals to conduct
  4. They only transmit sound

Question 39

Which statement about the electromagnetic spectrum is correct?
  1. Longer wavelengths have lower frequency
  2. Longer wavelengths always have higher energy
  3. Frequency is unrelated to wavelength
  4. Only radio waves carry information

Question 40

What happens to wave energy when a wave is absorbed?
  1. It transfers to the absorbing material often heating it
  2. It disappears
  3. It becomes mass
  4. It increases amplitude

Question 41

Which tool helps construct ray diagrams for lenses and mirrors?
  1. A straight-edge and ruler
  2. Thermometer
  3. Ammeter
  4. Spectrometer

Question 42

Which term describes energy per unit time carried by a wave?
  1. Intensity
  2. Frequency
  3. Period
  4. Amplitude

Question 43

Why does a sound wave take longer to travel through air at lower temperature?
  1. Particles move slower reducing wave speed
  2. Frequency increases
  3. Amplitude drops
  4. Mass decreases

Question 44

Which type of interference produces a louder sound?
  1. Constructive interference
  2. Destructive interference
  3. Polarizing interference
  4. Damped interference

Question 45

Why is ultrasound safe for imaging?
  1. It is non-ionising and reflected echoes form images
  2. It is light
  3. It causes nuclear decay
  4. It travels infinitely

Question 46

How does changing frequency affect refraction?
  1. Frequency stays the same, speed and wavelength change
  2. Frequency changes
  3. Speed stays constant
  4. Wavelength becomes negative

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Review Waves questions for Physics, with correct answers shown and coverage across wave properties; wave speed calculations; reflection and refraction.

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