Physics: New Material--sample questions and reading assignments

frequency

the number of cycles per second. f=(1/T)

The shape of the oscillation in a damped oscillation is

Exponential decay

How is a linear restoring force related to the distance, d, from equilibrium?

F is proportional to d

The distance between adjacent nodes in a standing wave is equal to...

Half the wavelength of the wave

The speed of sound in a gas depends on

Temperature of the gas

The speed of a wave on a string depends on...

Tension and material

If an oscillator is driven at its resonance frequency

The amplitude gets larger

Why is the lowest note on a clarinet much lower than the lowest note on a flute?

The clarinet is closed on one end while the flute is open at both ends

Constructive interference occurs when

The crest from one wave overlaps the crest of a second wave

The beat frequency of 2 waves interacting depends on

The difference between the two frequencies

natural frequency(f0)

The frequency of a system if it is displaced from equilibrium and released

The frequency of a physics pendulum depends on

The mass and the moment of inertia

How are the higher harmonics of a standing wave related to the fundamental frequency?

They are integer multiples of the fundamental

Energy conservation for simple harmonic oscillations occurs

Throughout the oscillation

What type of wave causes particles in a medium to move perpendicular to the wave direction?

Transverse

What type of wave is produced by an earthquake?

Transverse and longitudinal

The speed of a wave can be determined from its...

Wavelength and period

The frequency of a pendulum with a mass m and length L depends on

g and L (acceleration of gravity and length)

A music tuner uses a 554-Hz C# tuning fork to tune the frequency of a musical instrument. If the tuner hears a beat frequency of 2 Hz, what is the frequency of the instrument? A) It must be 556 Hz. B) It must be 552 Hz. C) It could be either 556 Hz or 552 Hz. D) It could be either 553 Hz or 555 Hz. E) It is neither 556 Hz or 552 Hz.

???

When 2 sound waves with slightly different wavelengths combine, they create

Alternating constructive and destructive interference

A stretched string is observed to have four equal segments in a standing wave driven at a frequency of 480 Hz. What driving frequency will set up a standing wave with five equal segments? A) 600 Hz B) 360 Hz C) 240 Hz D) 120 Hz

Answer: A A stretched string is observed to have four equal segments in a standing wave driven at a frequency of 480 Hz. What driving frequency will set up a standing wave with five equal segments? A) 600 Hz B) 360 Hz C) 240 Hz D) 120 Hz

An object is attached to a vertical spring and bobs up and down between points A and B. Where is the object located when its kinetic energy is a minimum? A) at either A or B B) midway between A and B C) one-third of the way between A and B D) one-fourth of the way between A and B E) at none of the above points

Answer: A An object is attached to a vertical spring and bobs up and down between points A and B. Where is the object located when its kinetic energy is a minimum? A) at either A or B B) midway between A and B C) one-third of the way between A and B D) one-fourth of the way between A and B E) at none of the above points

Suppose that a sound source is emitting waves uniformly in all directions. If you move to a point twice as far away from the source, the frequency of the sound will be A) unchanged. B) half as great. C) one-fourth as great. D) twice as great.

Answer: A Suppose that a sound source is emitting waves uniformly in all directions. If you move to a point twice as far away from the source, the frequency of the sound will be A) unchanged. B) half as great. C) one-fourth as great. D) twice as great.

A mass on a spring undergoes SHM. When the mass passes through the equilibrium position, which of the following statements about it are true? (There could be more than one correct choice.) A) Its acceleration is zero. B) Its speed is zero. C) Its elastic potential energy is zero. D) Its kinetic energy is a maximum. E) Its total mechanical energy is zero.

Answer: A, C, D A mass on a spring undergoes SHM. When the mass passes through the equilibrium position, which of the following statements about it are true? (There could be more than one correct choice.) A) Its acceleration is zero. B) Its speed is zero. C) Its elastic potential energy is zero. D) Its kinetic energy is a maximum. E) Its total mechanical energy is zero.

As you are moving very quickly toward a speaker emitting a pure tone, which characteristics of the sound get larger? (There may be more than one correct choice.) A) frequency B) amplitude C) wavelength D) period E) loudness

Answer: A, E As you are moving very quickly toward a speaker emitting a pure tone, which characteristics of the sound get larger? (There may be more than one correct choice.) A) frequency B) amplitude C) wavelength D) period E) loudness

Two simple pendulums, A and B, are each 3.0 m long, and the period of pendulum A is T. Pendulum A is twice as heavy as pendulum B. What is the period of pendulum B? A) T/(square root of 2) B) T C) T(square root of 2) D) 2T E) T/2

Answer: B T

When a guitar is tuned to adjust it pitch, what is it that is changed? A) The wavelength of the fundamental. B) The frequency of the fundamental. C) The amplitude of the fundamental.

Answer: B When a guitar is tuned to adjust it pitch, what is it that is changed? A) The wavelength of the fundamental. B) The frequency of the fundamental. C) The amplitude of the fundamental.

A string of length L is under tension, and the speed of a wave in the string is v. What will be the speed of a wave in the string if the length is increased to 2L but with no change in the mass or tension? A) v/2 B) v/(square root of 2) C) v(square root of 2) D) 2v E) 4v

Answer: C A string of length L is under tension, and the speed of a wave in the string is v. What will be the speed of a wave in the string if the length is increased to 2L but with no change in the mass or tension? A) v/2 B) v/(square root of 2) C) v(square root of 2) D) 2v E) 4v

Changing the tension of a guitar string changes

The wave velocity

How is the path length difference, Δd, related to the wavelength of the waves in order to produce constructive interference?

Δd = m λ

A pipe with a length of L is open at both ends. What is the wavelength of the m=6 harmonic if the wave speed is v?

λ=(2L)/6

How is the period, T, of a mass on a spring oscillator related to the mass, m?

T is proportional to the square root of m (T alpha square root m)

In order for destructive interference to occur Δd, the path length difference, is

(m+½)λ

At the ends of an open-open pipe

Are both pressure nodes

The wavelength of a wave is the...

-Distance spanned by one complete cycle of motion -Distance between wave crests -Distance between wave troughs

The history graph of a wave is

A graph of the time evolution at one particular point in space

In simple harmonic motion, when is the magnitude of the acceleration the greatest? (There could be more than one correct choice.) A) when the speed is a maximum B) when the displacement is a zero C) when the magnitude of the displacement is a maximum D) when the potential energy is a maximum E) when the kinetic energy is a minimum

Answer: C, D, E In simple harmonic motion, when is the magnitude of the acceleration the greatest? (There could be more than one correct choice.) A) when the speed is a maximum B) when the displacement is a zero C) when the magnitude of the displacement is a maximum D) when the potential energy is a maximum E) when the kinetic energy is a minimum

Consider the standing wave on a guitar string and the sound wave generated by the string as a result of this vibration. What do these two waves have in common? (There may be more than one correct choice.) A) They have the same wavelength. B) They have the same speed. C) They have the same frequency. D) They have the same amplitude. E) They have the same period.

Answer: C, E Consider the standing wave on a guitar string and the sound wave generated by the string as a result of this vibration. What do these two waves have in common? (There may be more than one correct choice.) A) They have the same wavelength. B) They have the same speed. C) They have the same frequency. D) They have the same amplitude. E) They have the same period.

The intensity of the waves from a point source at a distance d from the source is I. What is the intensity at a distance 2d from the source? A) 4I B) 2I C) I/2 D) I/4 E) I/(square root of 2)

Answer: D

In many cartoon shows, a character runs off a cliff, realizes his predicament, and lets out a scream. He continues to scream as he falls. If the physical situation is portrayed correctly, from the vantage point of an observer at the top of the cliff leaning over the edge, the pitch of the scream as he falls should be A) higher than the original pitch and constant. B) higher than the original pitch and increasing as he falls. C) lower than the original pitch and constant. D) lower than the original pitch and decreasing as he falls. E) It is impossible to predict.

Answer: D In many cartoon shows, a character runs off a cliff, realizes his predicament, and lets out a scream. He continues to scream as he falls. If the physical situation is portrayed correctly, from the vantage point of an observer at the top of the cliff leaning over the edge, the pitch of the scream as he falls should be A) higher than the original pitch and constant. B) higher than the original pitch and increasing as he falls. C) lower than the original pitch and constant. D) lower than the original pitch and decreasing as he falls. E) It is impossible to predict.

For a mass on a spring simple harmonic oscillator, the maximum velocity occurs are the point where the spring is

At its equilibrium point

For a horizontal mass-on-a-spring, at what point in the oscillation is the potential energy the largest?

At positive and negative A

At what point during the swing of a pendulum is the kinetic energy the largest?

At the bottom

How does a wave reflected from a fixed boundary compare to the wave before the reflection?

It is inverted

What determines the possible wavelengths of a standing wave on a string?

Length of the string

When setting up a standing wave in an air column, the closed end is a

Pressure antinode

Active noise canceling headphones

Produce waves opposite to the ambient noise to cancel it

The speed of a wave in any medium depends on...

Properties of the medium

A graph is said to be sinusoidal if it has the form of a

Sine or cosine function

exponential decay

Steady decrease with X-mass with time

The amplitude of a wave is...

The maximum displacement from the equilibrium level

The nodes of a standing wave are where

The medium moves the least

equilibrium position

The position where an object will be at rest with no net forces acting on it

A frequency spectrum shows...

The relative intensity of fundamental and higher harmonics

The natural frequency of an oscillator is

The resonance frequency

How does the speed of sound in air change as the temperature of air decreases?

The speed decreases

The frequency of a mass on a spring oscillator depends on

The spring constant k

The turning point for a mass on a spring occurs when

The spring is at its maximum or minimum length

period

The time it takes to complete 1 full cycle (A-->C-->A) T=(1/f)

Two waves at the same place at the same time will

Will combine to produce the displacement in the medium

response curve

a graph of amplitude versus driving frequency

sinusoidal

a graph or a function that has the form of a sine or cosine function

resonance

a large amplitude response to a driving force whose frequency matches the natural frequency of the system

pendulum

a mass (or bob) suspended from a pivot point by a light string or rod

simple harmonic motion (SHM)

a sinusoidal oscillation

driving frequency

a system that is now subjected to a periodic external force of frequency (this is independent of a natural frequency)

How is maximum acceleration for a simple harmonic oscillator related to the amplitude, A, of the oscillation?

amax is proportional to A

The maximum displacement of an oscillating object is known as the

amplitude

amplitude

an objects maximum displacement from equilibrium

a repetitive motion though an equilibrium positions is called

an oscillation

damped oscillations

an oscillation that runs down and stops

driven oscillation

an oscillator subjected to a periodic external force (when you jiggle a cup of water, the water sloshes back and forth

restoring force

any force that always acts to pull a system back toward equilibrium

small angle approximation

applies only when angle is in radians sin theta=theta

the time to complete one full cycle of an oscillation is the

period

A pendulum acts as a simple harmonic oscillator as long as

the maximum angle is small

linear restoring force

the net force is toward the equilibrium position and is proportional to the distance from equilibrium

time constant

time taken for a quantity that decreases exponentially to decrease to 0.37% of its initial value

How are wave speed, wavelength and frequency related?

v = fλ

The maximum velocity of a simple harmonic oscillator with amplitude A and frequency f is

vmax = 2πfA