Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · PHYSICS · Section
What are wavefronts?
19 practice questions
Practice questions
1–3 of 3 · Hard
Question 1
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A group of students investigate waves on two ropes by moving the ends back and forth. One rope's end is vibrated up and down at right angles to the rope; the other is vibrated backwards and forwards along its length.
(a)[2 marks]State which student produces a transverse wave and which produces a longitudinal wave. Explain your reasoning with reference to vibration direction.
(b)[2 marks]For either wave, describe what a wavefront is and how you could identify wavefronts in the rope.
Question 2
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A wave travels along a stretched string as shown in the figure below.
A sketch of a transverse wave: five complete 'humps' (crests/troughs) shown in a horizontal region of 1.0 m, with the distance from the bottom to the top of a crest labelled 0.12 m. (a)[2 marks]Calculate the wavelength of the wave.
(b)[1 mark]State the amplitude of the wave.
(c)[1 mark]If 20 complete waves pass a point in 4.0 seconds, calculate the frequency.
Question 3
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A science teacher explains that 'wavefronts help us understand how energy moves in waves.'
(a)[2 marks]Explain what is meant by a wavefront. Your answer should include how particles move and what 'in phase' means.
(b)[2 marks]Describe how you could use the concept of wavefronts to find the direction in which a wave is moving in water.