Deck 20: Sound

Question 1

The speed of a sound wave in air depends on

A)its frequency.
B)its wavelength.
C)air temperature.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Answer 1

air temperature.

Question 2

The source of every sound is something that is

A)vibrating.
B)moving.
C)accelerating.
D)undergoing simple harmonic motion.
E)a net emitter of energy.

Answer 2

vibrating.

Question 3

In choosing between sound waves and radio waves, which has the greater speed?

A)sound wave
B)radio wave
C)both the same
D)need more information

Answer 3

radio wave

Question 4

Sound travel fastest in

A)water vapor.
B)water.
C)ice.
D)steam.
E)all of the above

Question 5

A high-frequency sound source produces a high

A)speed.
B)amplitude.
C)pitch.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 6

A sound wave is a

A)longitudinal wave.
B)transverse wave.
C)all of the above
D)none of the above

Question 7

In air and in water the same sound travels with different

A)frequencies.
B)speeds.
C)both of these
D)neither of these

Question 8

Sound travels fastest in

A)air.
B)water.
C)steel.
D)a vacuum.

Question 9

Human hearing is best in

A)infrasonic sound.
B)ultrasonic sound.
C)both of these
D)neither of these

Question 10

A 340-hertz sound wave travels at 340 m/s in air with a wavelength of

A)1 m.
B)10 m.
C)100 m.
D)1000 m.
E)none of the above

Question 11

The energy of sound in air eventually becomes

A)increased internal energy in the air.
B)weaker and weaker until it disappears.
C)cancelled by destructive interference.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 12

Compressions and rarefactions are characteristics of

A)longitudinal waves.
B)transverse waves.
C)both of these
D)need more information

Question 13

Sound waves cannot travel in

A)air.
B)water.
C)steel.
D)a vacuum.

Question 14

A wave of frequency of 1000 hertz vibrates at

A)less than 1000 cycles per second.
B)1000 cycles per second.
C)more than 1000 cycles per second.
D)none of the above

Question 15

The speed of sound depends on

A)its frequency.
B)its amplitude.
C)the medium in which it travels.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 16

The kind of waves that travel fastest through a long metal rod have

A)short wavelengths.
B)waves of medium length.
C)long wavelengths.
D)all have the same speed

Question 17

The approximate range of human hearing is

A)10 hertz to 10,000 hertz.
B)20 hertz to 20,000 hertz.
C)40 hertz to 40,000 hertz.
D)none of the above

Question 18

Sound travels faster in air if the air temperature is

A)warm.
B)cold.
C)average.
D)any of the above

Question 19

Compressions and rarefactions normally travel in

A)the same direction in a wave.
B)opposite directions in a wave.
C)right angles to the wave direction.
D)none of the above

Question 20

Which does NOT belong to the same family?

A)infrasonic waves
B)ultrasonic waves
C)radio waves
D)shock waves
E)longitudinal waves

Question 21

When sound travels faster higher above the ground than below, bending of sound tends to be

A)upward.
B)downward.
C)to the left.
D)to the right.
E)none of the above

Question 22

When sound travels faster near the ground than above, bending of sound tends to be

A)upward.
B)downward.
C)to the left.
D)to the right.
E)none of the above

Question 23

An explosion occurs 34 km away. The time it takes for its sound to reach your ears, traveling at 340 m/s, is

A)0.1 s.
B)1 s.
C)10 s.
D)20 s.
E)more than 20 s.

Question 24

Sound refraction can occur when the speed of sound

A)remains constant.
B)changes.
C)ranges below supersonic.
D)none of the above

Question 25

Knowing that the atomic number of neon is greater than that of helium, at the same temperature and pressure, how does the speed of sound in helium gas compare to the speed of sound in neon gas?

A)greater in neon than in helium
B)greater in helium than in neon
C)the same in both gases
D)depends on the frequency of the sound generated

Question 26

An acoustical engineer in designing a music hall is concerned with

A)echoes.
B)reflection.
C)reverberations.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 27

The natural frequency of an object depends on its

A)size.
B)shape.
C)elasticity.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 28

The explanation for refraction must involve a change in

A)frequency.
B)wavelength.
C)speed.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 29

One reason for the higher pitch of your voice after you've inhaled some helium is that sound travels

A)slower in helium than in air.
B)faster in helium than in air.
C)the same speed in helium but with a longer wavelength.

Question 30

The wavelengths of sound that carry farther in air are relatively

A)long.
B)short.
C)ultrasonic.
D)none of the above

Question 31

The speed of sound in air is greatest for

A)high frequencies.
B)low frequencies.
C)same for all frequencies.

Question 32

Reverberation of sound occurs for

A)sound interference.
B)forced vibrations.
C)re-echoed sound.
D)resonance.
E)none of the above

Question 33

Assuming that xenon (atomic number 54)and krypton (atomic number 36)have the same temperature and pressure, in which gaseous medium does sound travel faster?

A)Xenon
B)Krypton
C)a mixture of both
D)the same in both

Question 34

The frequencies of sound that carry farther in air are

A)low.
B)high.
C)ultrasonic.
D)none of the above

Question 35

In perceiving its environment, a dolphin makes use of

A)echoes.
B)the Doppler effect.
C)ultrasound.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 36

Refraction of sound can occur in

A)air.
B)water.
C)both of these
D)neither of these

Question 37

Reflection of sound can occur in

A)air.
B)water.
C)both of these
D)neither of these

Question 38

To estimate the distance in kilometers of a flash of lightning, count the number of seconds between seeing the flash and hearing the accompanying thunder, then divide by

A)2.
B)3.
C)4.
D)5.
E)none of the above

Question 39

A dolphin perceives its environment by the sense of

A)sight.
B)sound.
C)both of these
D)neither of these

Question 40

A base fiddle is louder than a harp because of its

A)thicker strings.
B)sounding board.
C)lower pitch.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 41

How long a tuning fork vibrates when its handle is held against a table is most related to

A)its frequency.
B)resonance.
C)the conservation of energy.
D)the length of its prongs.

Question 42

The least energy required to produce forced vibration in an object occurs

A)below its natural frequency.
B)at its natural frequency.
C)above its natural frequency.
D)none of the above

Question 43

Reports are that singer Caruso was able to shatter a crystal chandelier with his voice, which illustrates

A)an echo.
B)sound refraction.
C)beats.
D)resonance.
E)interference.

Question 44

Sound will be louder if a struck tuning fork is held

A)in the air.
B)with its base against a tabletop.
C)with its prongs in shallow water.
D)in your closed fist.

Question 45

Resonance occurs with forced vibration that requires the

A)least amount of energy input.
B)maximum amount of energy input.
C)matching of wave amplitudes.
D)matching of constructive and destructive interference.
E)minimum beat frequency.

Question 46

A tuning fork of frequency 200 hertz can resonate if an incident sound wave has a frequency of

A)100 hertz.
B)200 hertz.
C)both of these
D)neither of these

Question 47

Sound waves can interfere with one another so that no sound results.

A)True
B)False
C)Either, depending on the air temperature.

Question 48

When sound waves superimpose they can interfere

A)constructively.
B)destructively.
C)either of these
D)neither of these

Question 49

The A in AM radio stands for

A)acceleration.
B)authorized.
C)amplitude.
D)agony.
E)almost.

Question 50

The bell with the highest natural frequency is relatively

A)small.
B)large.
C)either of these

Question 51

Sound interference with a pair of radio loudspeakers can be nicely demonstrated when the

A)radio signal is monaural for each.
B)input and output of the speakers are reversed.
C)speakers are brought face to face.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 52

Repeatedly tap the side of a drinking glass with a spoon as you fill the glass with water and the pitch of the sound

A)increases.
B)decreases.
C)remains relatively constant.

Question 53

When the handle of a tuning fork is held solidly against a table, the sound becomes louder and the time that the fork keeps vibrating

A)becomes longer.
B)becomes shorter.
C)remains the same.

Question 54

When tuning a radio to a particular station, you match the frequency of the internal electrical circuit with the frequency of the wanted radio station. What principle is being employed?

A)forced vibrations
B)resonance
C)beats
D)reverberation
E)wave interference

Question 55

The type of radio wave that produces the least static in a radio receiver is

A)AM.
B)FM.
C)neither of these

Question 56

For radio transmission, which has the higher frequency?

A)carrier wave
B)sound wave
C)neither of these

Question 57

Interference is a property of

A)water waves.
B)sound waves.
C)light waves.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 58

The F in FM radio stands for

A)frequency.
B)forced vibration at which resonance occurs.
C)foul.
D)female.
E)fax.

Question 59

The phenomenon of beats is a result of sound

A)refraction.
B)reflection.
C)interference.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 60

Wave interference occurs in

A)transverse waves.
B)longitudinal waves.
C)both of the above
D)none of the above

Question 61

A 1056-hertz tuning fork is sounded at the same time a piano note is struck. You hear three beats per second. What is the frequency of the piano string?

A)1056 hertz
B)1059 hertz
C)1053 hertz
D)3168 hertz
E)need more information

Question 62

Two tuning forks produce sounds of wavelengths 3.4 meters and 3.3 meters. Approximately what beat frequency is produced?

A)0.1 hertz
B)1.0 hertz
C)2.0 hertz
D)3.0 hertz
E)4.0 hertz

Question 63

A piano tuner knows that a key on the piano is tuned to the frequency of a test tuning fork when the fork and key struck at same time produce beats of

A)0 Hz.
B)1 Hz.
C)2 Hz.
D)3 Hz.
E)4 Hz.

Question 64

A 1056-hertz tuning fork is struck at the same time as a note on the piano and you hear 2 beats/second. You tighten the piano string very slightly and then hear 3 beats/second. What is the frequency of the piano string?

A)1053 hertz
B)1054 hertz
C)1056 hertz
D)1058 hertz
E)1059 hertz

Question 65

The beat frequency produced when a 240-hertz tuning fork and a 246-hertz tuning fork are sounded together is

A)6 hertz.
B)12 hertz.
C)240 hertz.
D)245 hertz.
E)none of the above