Excursions in Physics
PHY 3050G
Third Hour Exam
March 27, 2002
For every question, also consider as a possible answer
E) none of the above
For every question, also consider as a possible answer
E) none of the above
1. Increasing the amplitude of a simple pendulum makes its frequency
A) longer
B) shorter
C) unchanged
An important characteristic of all simple harmonic
oscillators (SHO)is that the frequency (or the period!) is independent
of the amplitude.
2. Increasing the mass of a simple pendulum makes its frequency
A) longer
B) shorter
C) unchanged
For a mass-and-spring SHO,
the mass does make a difference; but for a simple pendulum the frequency (or
the period!) is independent of the mass.
3. Increasing the length of a simple pendulum makes its frequency
A) longer (or larger or greater) The period becomes
greater.
B) shorter (or smaller or less) f = 1/T so a larger
period means a smaller frequency.
C) unchanged
4. Increasing the amplitude of a mass-and-spring simple harmonic oscillator
makes its period
A) longer
B) shorter
C) unchanged
An important characteristic of all simple harmonic
oscillators (SHO)is that the frequency (or the period!) is independent
of the amplitude.
5. Increasing the mass of a mass-and-spring simple harmonic oscillator
makes its period
A) longer
B) shorter
C) unchanged
6. A mass-and-spring simple harmonic oscillator has maximum kinetic energy
A) at its equilibrium position
E = KE + PE = const
PE = 0 at equilibrium
KE = KEmax at equilibrium
B) when [or where] its displacement equals its amplitude
C) half way between equilibrium and amplitude
D) two-thirds of the way between equilibrium and amplitude
7. A mass-and spring simple harmonic oscillator has maximum potential energy
at
A) at its equilibrium position
B) when [or where] its displacement equals its
amplitude.
C) half way between equilibrium and amplitude
D) two-thirds of the way between equilibrium and amplitude
8. The frequency of a mass-and-spring simple harmonic oscillator is independent
of its
A) mass.
B) spring constant.
C) amplitude.
An important characteristic of all simple harmonic
oscillators (SHO)is that the frequency (or the period!) is independent
of the amplitude.
D) all of the above.
9. The period of a simple pendulum depends upon its
A) mass
B) amplitude
C) length
D) all of the above
10. The period of a certain simple harmonic oscillator is 0.2 s; its frequency
is
A) 0.5 Hz
B) 5.0 Hz
f = 1/T
f = 1/0.2 s
f = 5.0 (1/s)
f = 5.0 Hz
C) 50.0 Hz
D) 500 Hz
11. Ordinary household electricity is alternating current with a frequency of
60 Hz. Its period is
A) 60 cycles per second
B) 120 cycles per second
C) 0.0167 s
T = 1/f
T = 1/60 Hz
T = 0.0167 s
D) 0.0583 s
12. If you apply a force to an oscillator at its natural frequency, you will
produce motion
A) at exactly twice that frequency
B) at exactly one-half that frequency
C) with large amplitude;
this is known as "resonance".
D) with an amplitude that damps out or gets smaller.
13. There are "signals" of many different frequencies coming into
the antenna of your radio. Only the one with a particular frequency is amplified
and produces the sound you listen to. This is an example of
A) damping
B) amplitude degeneration
C) timbre or quality
D) resonance
14. If a carefully calibrated pendulum were over a very large oil deposit,
where the acceleration due to gravity is slightly decreased, what would
happen to the pendulum's period?
A) increase
B) stay the same
C) decrease
15. Where is the speed of a simple harmonic oscillator zero?
A) at its equilibrium position No, that's maximum
speed.
B) when its displacement equals its amplitude
C) half way between equilibrium and amplitude
D) two-thirds of the way between equilibrium and amplitude
16. Like a transverse wave, a longitudinal wave has
A) an amplitude
B) a frequency
C) a wavelength
D) all of the above
17. Which of the following is a longitudinal wave?
A) light
B) wave on a string
C) sound
D) all of the above
18. The individual vibrations or disturbances of a longitdinal wave move
A) in the same direction as the wave itself
B) perpendicular to the wave itself
19. A wave has a frequency of 50 Hz and travels 25 m in one second. It has
A) a wave speed of 25 m/s and a wavelength of 0.5 m.
wavespeed = (frequency) x (wavelength)
25 m/s = [50 (1/s)] x (wavelength)
25 m/s = [50 /s] x (0.5 m)
B) a wave speed of 25 m/s and a wavelength of 2.0 m
C) a wave speed of 200 m/s and a wavelength of 2.0 m
D) a wave speed of 200 m and a wavelength of 0.5 m
20. Unlike billiard balls, waves can pass through each other. This is known
as
A) echolocation.
B) resonance.
C) superposition.
D) interactive collisions.
21. For standing waves, antinodes
A) are half a wavelength apart
B) have the greatest amplitude
C) alternate with nodes
D) all of the above
22. For standing waves on a string,
A) a node is located at each end
B) a whole number times half the wavelength equals the length of the string
C) the whole "pattern" of standing waves occurs only for certain frequencies
D) all of the above
23. If you listen to the horn on a railroad engine as it approaches you and
then recedes from you, you will notice a change in the pitch. You will
hear
A) the approaching train sound lower and then go higher as it leaves.
B) the approaching train sound louder and then become softer as it leaves.
C) the approaching train sound higher and then go lower
as it leaves.
D) the approaching train sound softer and then become louder as it leaves.
Yikes! This will be repeated as question 43.
24. On a string that is 1.0 m long, standing waves may be formed with the following
wavelengths:
A) 1.0 m, 2.0 m, 3.0 m
B) 1.0 m, 2.0 m, 4.0 m
C) 3.0 m, 1.5 m, 0.75 m
D) 2.0 m, 1.0 m, 0.5 m
25. Standing waves can occur when
A) the frequency equals the wavelength
B) the amplitude exceeds the wavelength
C) a wave is reflected back on itself
D) a wave's period equals its wavelength
26. A node is
A) always in the middle of a standing wave
B) a position of maximum amplitude
C) a position of minimum amplitude
D) equal to the fundamental frequency
27. Light and sound are both waves. You can see a ringing bell inside an evacuated
glass container but you can not hear it. This is because
A) of resonance
B) light travels faster than sound
C) sound requires air to be transmitted and light does
not
D) light passes through glass but sound does not
28. A bobber on a fishing line oscillates up and down three times per second
as waves pass by. The waves have a frequency of
A) (1/3) Hz
B) 3 Hz
C) (1/3) sec
D) 3 sec
29. If there were a gigantic explosion on our moon we would not hear
it because sound
A) is a transverse wave
B) requires a medium to travel or to “wave”
C) is resonant
D) must be polarized to travel such a great distance
30. If you put your fingertip in a pool of water and repeatedly move it up and
down, you will create circular water waves that move out from that point. What
will happen to the wavelength of these waves if you move your finger
up and down more slowly (or less frequently)?
A) increase
A decrease in frequency means an increase in wavelength.
B) remain the same
C) decrease
31. A “sonic boom” occurs
A) only at the moment an aircraft “breaks” the sound barrier.
B) when the cone of high pressure following behind
a supersonic airplane encounters people or buildings.
C) when there is a temperature inversion.
D) only over water.
32. "Supersonic" means
A) lower than the range of human hearing
B) higher than the range of human hearing
C) faster than the speed of sound
D) slower than the speed of sound
33. "Ultrasonic" means
A) lower than the range of human hearing
B) higher than the range of human hearing
C) faster than the speed of sound
D) slower than the speed of sound
34. "Infrasonic" means
A) lower than the range of human hearing
B) higher than the range of human hearing
C) faster than the speed of sound
D) slower than the speed of sound
35. Bats and dolphins use echolocation to navigate or the find food or to find
their way without relying on sight. The frequencies they use are
A) supersonic
B) infrasonic
C) ultrasonic
D) microsonic
36. If you double the frequency of a sound wave, you also double its
A) wavelength
B) speed
C) amplitude
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
37. The range of human hearing is about
A) 10 Hz to 100 Hz
B) 50 Hz to 500 Hz
C) 50 Hz to 20 kHz
D) 1 kHz to 100 kHz
38. Sound travels fastest in
A) air (a gas)
B) water (a liquid)
C) steel (a solid)
D) vacuum
39. The speed of sound in air depends upon
A) wavelength
B) frequency
C) temperature
D) amplitude
40. Increasing the length of a vibrating string will
A) decrease its resonance frequency
B) decrease its amplitude
C) increase its amplitude
D) increase its resonance frequency
41. Ella Fitzgerald made commercials for Memorex in which she used her voice
to break a wine glass. This is an example of
A) echolocation
B) reflected sound
C) ultrasonic frequencies
D) resonance
42. Beats are heard when two sounds have
A) nearly the same amplitude
B) nearly the same frequencies
C) twice the amplitude
D) exactly twice the wavelength
43. If you listen to the horn on a railroad engine as it approaches you and
then recedes from you, you will notice a change in the pitch. You will hear
A) the approaching train sound lower and then go higher as it leaves.
B) the approaching train sound louder and then become softer as it leaves.
C) the approaching train sound higher and then go lower
as it leaves.
D) the approaching train sound softer and then become louder as it leaves.
Yikes! This is a repeat of question 23.
44. The "pitch" of a sound is determined by its
A) overtones frequencies
B) harmonics frequencies
C) fundamental frequency
D) resonance frequencies
45. The quality or timbre -- the distincitive characteristic -- of a sound
is determined by its
A) overtones or harmonics
B) amplitude or loudness
C) attack or decay
D) fundamental frequency
46. You hear beats with a frequency of 3 Hz when you strike a tuning fork that
vibrates at 256 Hz and a chime. The chime has a frequency of
A) 3 x 256 Hz = 768 Hz
B) 253 Hz
and 259 Hz would also produce this same beat frequency
of 3 Hz
C) 250 Hz
D) (256 / 3) Hz = 85.3 Hz
47. The fundamental frequency of a violin string is 440 hertz. The frequency
of its second harmonic is
A) 110 Hz
B) 220 Hz
C) 440 Hz
D) 880 Hz
48. Consider a musical note of 440 hertz ("concert 'A'"). Two octaves
higher is represented by a musical note of
A) 220 Hz
B) 880 Hz This is one octave higher.
C) 1320 Hz
D) 1760 Hz.
49. The lowest frequency present in a sound determines its
A) pitch.
This is known as the fundamental frequency.
B) amplitude.
C) beat frequency.
D) quality or timbre.
50. Suppose you play a note of a certain pitch on a violin. You can produce
a lower-pitched note by
A) shortening the length of the string that is allowed to vibrate
B) increasing the tension of the string
C) decreasing the linear mass density of the string
D) lengthening the part of the string that vibrates.