Q&A Hero

Q: Colors seen on the cover of our paper-bound physical science text book result from color A) addition. B) subtraction. C) either D) neither

Q: Colors seen on TV result from color A) addition. B) subtraction. C) either of these D) none of the above

Q: The three colors that comprise the image on a TV screen are A) red, blue, and yellow. B) red, blue, and green. C) yellow, blue, and green. D) magenta, cyan, and yellow. E) red, green, and yellow.

Q: The solar radiation curve is a graph of A) colors of sunlight versus their frequencies. B) colors of sunlight versus their wavelengths. C) the path of the Sun about Earth. D) brightness versus frequency. E) intensity versus distance from the Sun.

Q: The color of an opaque object is the same as the light that is A) transmitted. B) absorbed. C) reflected. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Different colors of light correspond to different light A) velocities. B) intensities. C) polarities. D) frequencies. E) none of the above

Q: Which has the highest frequency? A) red light. B) green light. C) blue light. D) all the same

Q: The color to which human eyes are most sensitive is A) red. B) yellow-green. C) blue. D) all the same

Q: The brightest color emitted by the Sun is A) red. B) yellow-green. C) blue. D) all the same

Q: The different colors of the spectrum A) are sharply divided. B) blend from one to another. C) differ from the colors of a rainbow.

Q: A pane of red glass transmits primarily A) red light. B) the complementary color of red light. C) all colors of light.

Q: The black fur of a black-and-white bunny is due to light A) absorption. B) reflection. C) refraction. D) scattering.

Q: The white light from the Sun is a A) compliment of the surrounding blue sky. B) composite of light of all the visible frequencies. C) mixture of selected frequencies of light.

Q: The color of an object depends on the colors of A) the light that illuminates them. B) molecules that comprise them. C) the foreground.

Q: The twinkling of stars is a result of atmospheric A) reflection. B) refraction. C) scattering. D) dispersion. E) aberrations.

Q: A distant palm tree on a hot dry day that often appears to be reflected from water is A) due to light refracted upward as it grazes the hot surface. B) the inverse of a mirage. C) evidence that light travels in straight lines.

Q: Sometimes on a hot day a distant dry street appears wet, which is due to A) water from a previous rainfall. B) reflection of the sky from the street. C) refracted sky light.

Q: Atmospheric refraction makes the daylight hours A) longer. B) shorter. C) neither

Q: Because of refraction, the Sun near sunset appears A) higher in the sky. B) lower in the sky. C) farther away.

Q: A mirage is a result of atmospheric A) reflection. B) refraction. C) scattering. D) dispersion. E) aberrations.

Q: Why does a sonic boom irritate people on the ground below a supersonic aircraft and not passengers inside the aircraft?

Q: What is the Doppler effect, and how is it produced? Cite two examples.

Q: What are beats and how are they produced?

Q: Why will a struck tuning fork sound louder when it is held against a table?

Q: What is wave interference, and the two types of wave interference?

Q: What is resonance and the conditions for resonance? Give examples.

Q: What is an echo, and why is it weaker than the original sound?

Q: Distinguish between a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave. Give examples of each.

Q: Show the relationship between wave speed and wave frequency. If the speed of a longitudinal wave is 340 m/s and the frequency is 1000 Hz, what is the wavelength of the wave?

Q: What is the relationship between wave frequency and period? What is the period, in seconds, that corresponds to each of the following frequencies: (a) 10 Hz, (b) 0.2 Hz, (c) 60 Hz?

Q: If you played music under water the wavelength of middle C would be A) lengthened. B) shortened. C) unaffected. D) none of the above

Q: Fourier analysis is used A) in breaking down sound signals to component parts. B) automatically in human hearing. C) both of these D) none of the above

Q: Fourier discovered that music can be A) a series of non-periodic waves. B) reduced to simple sine waves. C) a binary code. D) pulses of the same amplitude.

Q: The fundamental frequency of a violin string is 440 hertz. The frequency of its second harmonic is A) 220 hertz. B) 440 hertz. C) 880 hertz. D) none of the above

Q: High-pitched sound has a high A) speed. B) rate of vibration. C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: The pitch of a musical sound is most related to A) wavelength. B) frequency. C) speed. D) amplitude. E) all of the above

Q: Musical tones are characterized by A) quality. B) partial tones C) harmonics. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Strings that have more mass on a musical instrument than others produce notes of A) higher frequency. B) lower frequency. C) the same frequency.

Q: The amplitude of a sound wave is closely related to A) loudness. B) pitch. C) quality. D) timbre. E) all of the above

Q: The loudness of a musical sound is most related to the sound's A) wavelength. B) frequency. C) speed. D) amplitude. E) all of the above

Q: Compared to noise, musical sounds commonly have A) periodic tones. B) musical notes. C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: Which doesn't belong to the same family? A) infrasonic waves B) ultrasonic waves C) radio waves D) shock waves E) longitudinal waves

Q: A sonic boom cannot be produced by A) an aircraft flying slower than the speed of sound. B) a whip. C) a speeding bullet. D) all of the above

Q: As a supersonic aircraft gains speed, the angle of its shock wave A) narrows. B) widens. C) remains unchanged.

Q: A shock wave is produced when the speed of an object A) matches the speed of sound in air. B) exceeds the speed of sound in air. C) greatly increases in amplitude. D) none of the above

Q: As a wave-generating object moves through a medium, the waves behind A) bunch up. B) stretch out. C) neither of these

Q: As a wave-generating object moves through a medium, the waves ahead A) bunch up. B) stretch out. C) neither of these

Q: A bow wave is produced in water when the speed of an object A) matches the speed of waves in water. B) exceeds the speed of waves in water. C) is less than the speed of waves in water. D) none of the above

Q: A wave barrier is produced in water when the speed of an object A) matches the speed of waves in water. B) exceeds the speed of waves in water. C) is less than the speed of waves in water. D) none of the above

Q: If you quickly run away from the orchestra at a concert, the frequency of the sound you hear will be A) decreased. B) increased. C) neither of these

Q: If you quickly run toward the orchestra at a concert, the frequency of the sound you hear will be A) decreased. B) increased. C) neither of these

Q: When Phil Physiker swings a buzzer over his head in a circle he hears A) a steady hum. B) a throbbing hum. C) the same Doppler effect that his friends off to the side hear.

Q: 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

Q: A blue shift for light indicates that the light source is moving A) toward you. B) away from you. C) both of these D) neither of these

Q: A red shift for light indicates that the light source is moving A) toward you. B) away from you. C) both of these D) none of the above

Q: A Doppler effect occurs when a source of sound moves A) toward you. B) away from you. C) either of these D) none of the above

Q: The Doppler effect is a characteristic of A) water waves. B) sound waves. C) light waves. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Two tuning forks produce sounds of wavelengths 3.4 m and 3.3 m. Assuming the speed of sound is 340 m/s, the beat frequency produced is A) 0.1 Hz. B) 1.0 Hz. C) 2.0 Hz. D) 3.0 Hz. E) 4.0 Hz.

Q: Suppose you sound a 1056-Hz tuning fork when you strike a note on the piano and hear 2 beats/second. You tighten the piano string very slightly and now hear 3 beats/second. What is the frequency of the piano string? A) 1053 Hz B) 1054 Hz C) 1056 Hz D) 1058 Hz E) 1059 Hz

Q: A 1056-Hz tuning fork is sounded when a piano note is struck. You hear three beats per second. What is the frequency of the piano string? A) 1053 Hz B) 1056 Hz C) 1059 Hz D) 2112 Hz E) need more information

Q: What beat frequency is produced by 240-Hz and a 246-Hz tuning forks? A) 6 Hz B) 12 Hz C) 240 Hz D) 245 Hz E) none of the above

Q: 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

Q: Sound waves can interfere with one another so that no sound is heard. A) True B) False

Q: When you tune a radio to a certain station, you match the frequency of the internal electrical circuit to the frequency of that radio station, which illustrates A) forced vibrations. B) resonance. C) beats. D) reverberation. E) wave interference.

Q: The phenomenon of beats results from sound A) refraction. B) reflection. C) interference. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Identical waves superimposed out of phase produce a wave of decreased A) amplitude. B) frequency. C) wavelength. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: Identical waves superimposed in phase produce a wave of increased A) amplitude. B) frequency. C) wavelength. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: When sound waves superimpose they can interfere A) constructively. B) destructively. C) either of these D) neither of these

Q: The number of nodes in a standing wave of three wavelengths, not including the endpoints, is A) 2. B) 3. C) 4. D) 5. E) 6.

Q: The number of nodes in a standing wave of two wavelengths, not including the endpoints, is A) 2. B) 3. C) 4. D) 5. E) 6.

Q: A node is a position of A) minimum amplitude. B) maximum amplitude. C) minimum frequency.

Q: Suzy shakes a rope tied to a wall and produces a standing wave of one loop. The distance between Suzy and the wall is A) one-half a wavelength. B) a full wavelength. C) more than a full wavelength. D) none of the above

Q: Standing waves of sound are employed in a A) guitar. B) flute. C) clarinet. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: A standing wave can occur when A) two waves overlap. B) a wave reflects upon itself. C) the speed of the wave is zero or near zero. D) the amplitude of a wave exceeds its wavelength.

Q: When Ken Ford wears noise-canceling earphones in his airplane, he is applying A) anti-noise technology. B) beats. C) resonance of sound. D) all of these E) none of the above

Q: Wave interference occurs in A) transverse waves. B) longitudinal waves. C) both of the above D) none of the above

Q: Wave interference occurs for waves of A) sound. B) light. C) water. D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: To say that one wave is out of phase with another is to say that the waves are A) of different amplitudes. B) of different frequencies. C) of different wavelengths. D) out of step. E) all of the above

Q: 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.

Q: 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