NCEA Level 3 / A-Level Physics Quiz: Wave Systems
Time Allowed: 60 minutes
Total Marks: 60
Instructions
1. Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided.
2. Show all your working for numerical questions. Final answers must include units.
3. For written explanations, ensure your answers are clear and concise.
4. You may use a scientific calculator.
Formula Sheet
d sin θ = nλ
nλ = dx / L
f' = f (v_w / (v_w ± v_s))
v = fλ
f=1/T
Useful Constants:
• Speed of sound in air, v_w = 340 m s⁻¹
• Speed of light, c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m s⁻¹
Question 1: Fundamentals of Waves (10 Marks)
(a) Match the wave property to its correct description. (3 marks)
Property Description
1. Wavelength A. The number of complete
waves passing a point per
second.
2. Period B. The distance from one
crest to the next crest.
3. Frequency C. The time it takes for one
complete wave to pass a
point.
(b) A speedboat creates waves in a lake. The waves have a wavelength of 2.0 m and a
frequency of 0.50 Hz.
(i) Calculate the speed of the waves. (3 marks)
(ii) Calculate the period of the waves. (2 marks)
Hint: Use the formulas v = fλ and f = 1/T.
(c) Are sound waves transverse or longitudinal? Explain your choice. (2 marks)
Hint: Think about how the air particles move compared to the direction the sound is
travelling.
Question 2: The Doppler Effect (16 Marks)
(a) A car is driving towards you while sounding its horn.
(i) Do the sound waves in front of the car get compressed or stretched out? (2 marks)
(ii) Because of this, do you hear a higher or lower frequency? (2 marks)
Hint: Think about what happens when the source of waves moves towards the observer.
(b) An ambulance has a siren that produces a sound with a frequency of 800 Hz. It travels
towards a stationary observer at 25.0 m s⁻¹. Calculate the frequency that the observer
hears. (4 marks)
Hint: Use the Doppler formula. The denominator should be (v_w - v_s) when the source
moves towards you.
(c) The same ambulance now passes the observer and travels away from them at the same
speed of 25.0 m s⁻¹. Calculate the new frequency the observer hears. (4 marks)
Hint: The denominator should be (v_w + v_s) because the source is moving away.
(d) A duck is paddling in a pond, creating waves. If the duck paddles away from you, would
the frequency of the waves reaching you be higher or lower than the frequency at which the
duck is paddling? Explain why. (4 marks)
Hint: This is the Doppler effect for water waves. The same principle applies as for sound
waves.
Question 3: Interference and Diffraction (20 Marks)
(a) For two sources of light to create a clear interference pattern, they must be coherent.
What does the term coherent mean? (3 marks)
Hint: Your answer should mention the phase relationship between the two sources.
(b) A red laser with a wavelength of 650 nm (6.50 × 10⁻⁷ m) is shone through two slits that
are 0.200 mm apart. The interference pattern is seen on a screen 3.00 m away.
(i) Calculate the distance from the central bright line to the second bright line (n=2). (4
marks)
(ii) If the screen were moved further away, would the bright lines get closer together or
further apart? Explain your answer by referring to the formula nλ = dx/L. (3 marks)
Hint: For (i), make sure all your units are in metres before you calculate! For (ii), look at
how x changes if L gets bigger.
(c) The double-slit is replaced by a diffraction grating with 500 lines per mm.
(i) Show that the slit separation, d, for this grating is 2.00 × 10⁻⁶ m. (2 marks)
(ii) The same red laser (λ = 650 nm) is used. Calculate the angle (θ) to the first bright line
(n=1). (4 marks)
(iii) If the red laser was replaced with a blue laser (which has a shorter wavelength), would
the angle to the first bright line increase or decrease? Explain your answer by referring to
the formula d sin θ = nλ. (4 marks)
Hint: For (i), d is 1 divided by the number of lines per metre. For (iii), look at how θ must
change if λ gets smaller while d and n stay the same.
Question 4: Wave Properties in Action (14 Marks)
(a) A musical tuning fork vibrates 440 times per second. The sound travels through the air
at 340 m s⁻¹.
(i) What is the frequency of the sound wave in Hertz (Hz)? (1 mark)
(ii) What is the wavelength of the sound wave? (3 marks)
Hint: The number of vibrations per second is the definition of frequency.
(b) An astronomer observes light from a distant galaxy.
(i) They notice that the light is 'red-shifted,' meaning its wavelengths have become longer. Is
the galaxy moving towards or away from Earth? (2 marks)
(ii) This 'red-shift' is an example of what wave phenomenon? (1 mark)
Hint: An object moving away has its waves stretched out. Think about what this does to
wavelength.
(c) A green light with a wavelength of 5.00 × 10⁻⁷ m passes through a double-slit. The bright
fringes that appear on a screen 2.00 m away are measured to be 5.00 mm apart. Calculate
the distance between the two slits. (7 marks)
Hint: This requires you to rearrange the formula nλ = dx/L to solve for d. Use n=1 for the
distance between adjacent fringes (x = 5.00 mm).
End of Quiz
