Y8 Science – Sound Unit Test 2023

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Tutor Class: Mark:

/50 %

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READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST:
This test has 2 sections:
Section A: Multiple Choice
Section B: Short Answer
Time allowed is 40 minutes.
Marks for each question are shown in brackets
Write in dark blue or black pen.
You may use a pencil for diagrams, graphs, tables or rough working.
Answer all questions.
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Question Possible Student

number marks mark
Section A 5
Section B
1 7
2 4
3 6
4 2
5 6
6 5
7 4
8 3
9 5
10 3
Total: 50

Page 1 of 8
SECTION A: Multiple choice [1 mark each]
Circle the letter of the one answer you consider to be the most correct.

1. Sound travels in water at 1400 metres per second. If a sound vibration returns to a
ship from a sunken vessel in 1.4 seconds, the depth of the sunken vessel is closest
to:

A 2000 metres.
B 500 metres.
C 4000 metres.
D 1000 metres.

2. Sound is passed to your ear from a musical instrument by:

A air particles moving from the instrument to your ear.

B invisible waves which move in the spaces around the air particles between the
instrument and your ear.
C convection currents travelling from the instrument to your ear.
D air particles passing vibrations from the instrument to your ear.

3. Sound waves are _________________ in nature.

A partly longitudinal and partly transverse

B sometimes longitudinal and sometimes transverse
C transverse
D longitudinal

4. Identify the wave with the lowest frequency.

5. As the wavelength of a wave gets longer, the frequency:

A increases.
B decreases.
C stays the same.
D is not related.

Page 2 of 8
SECTION B: Short answer

1. Use the five illustrations of waves drawn below to answer the following questions: [5]

(a) Waves P and Q have the same _________________________, but wave P has twice

the _________________________ of wave Q.

(b) Waves Q and R have the same _________________________, but wave Q has

more _________________________ than wave R.

(c) Wave _________________________shows a steady frequency but changing

amplitude.

(d) Wave _________________________shows steady amplitude but a changing

frequency.

(e) Waves __________ and __________ have a low amplitude and a steady frequency.

(b) A microphone connected to cathode ray oscilloscope picks up the sound from a siren.
The trace produced on the screen is shown below in figure 1.1.

Describe how the wave changes as it goes across the screen from left to right (→). [2]

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Page 3 of 8

Figure 1.1
2. Joshua and Crystal stand near a cliff face as shown below. When Joshua shouts, he
hears his echo. When Crystal shouts, she does not hear her echo. Assume the speed
of sound to be 330 ms-1.

The human ear can only distinguish between sounds more than 0.1 seconds apart.

65 m

Crystal

Joshua Piper

12 m
(a) Calculate the time taken for the echo to reach Crystal and
Joshua. [3]

(b) Explain why Joshua hears the echo but Crystal does not. [1]

3.
(a) A person is listening with his ear against the rail for an oncoming train. When the
train is 1.65 km away, how long will it take him to hear the train when it starts
moving?
(The speed of sound in steel is 5200 m/s.)
[3]
Show any formulae used and show full working.

Page 4 of 8
(b) Navy ships use sonar (sound navigation and ranging) to detect submarines. A sound
pulse sent by the ship reflects off the submarine. It takes 3.14 s for the sound pulse
to travel to the submarine and back. The speed of sound in seawater is 1400 m/s.
How far way is the submarine?
[3]
Show any formulae used and show full working.

4. Native Americans could hear horses approaching by putting their ears to the ground.
Explain why this worked. [2]

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5.
(a) Cats’ ears are very similar to human ears.
Label on the diagram of the cat’s ear where the following parts are: semi-circulars
canal, ear drum and hammer. [3]

Page 5 of 8
(b) The following statements are NOT in order. Give the correct order for how the ear
works. [3]

1. Sound waves are collected by the ear lobe or pinna.

2. The small bones (ossicles) amplify the vibrations.
3. The auditory nerve takes the signals to the brain
4. The waves make the ear drum vibrate
5. The waves travel along the ear canal
6. The cochlea turns these into electrical signals.

……………… ………………… ……………….. ………………. ………………… ……………….

6. A group of students uses an electronic timing system to measure the speed of sound
in a metal rod. They place two sound sensors 0.3 m apart on the bar and then send a
pulse of sound though the bar. The results of the experiment are shown in the table.
The times are measured in milliseconds (ms), where 1000 ms = 1 s.

Time / ms 0.25 0.24 0.20 0.26 0.25

(a) Why did the students use electronic timers instead of using normal stopwatches? [1]

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(b) Which of the results is anomalous? [1]

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(c) Calculate the average time using the data, excluding the anomalous result. [1]

(d) Calculate the speed of sound in the metal bar. [2]

Page 6 of 8
7. Describe the behaviour of the particles carrying a sound wave when:

(a) the frequency of the sound increase? [2]

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(b) the loudness of the sound waves increases? [2]

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8. The dotar is a musical instrument with two strings.

(a) Aftal plays the dotar very quietly.

What must he do to the strings to make a louder sound? [1]

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(b) Aftal makes the strings tighter so they vibrate more quickly.

How does this affect the sound produced by the strings? [1]

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(c) One of the strings is thicker than the other, so it vibrates more slowly.

In what way is the sound made by the thicker string different from the sound

made by the thinner string? [1]

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Page 7 of 8
9.
(a) Sound travels through cork at a speed of 500 ms-1. Cork is a solid. Why does sound
travel slowly through cork compared to iron? [2]

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(b) Does sound travel faster in warmer air or colder air? Explain your answer. [3]

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10. Study this diagram and answer the questions below.

(a) At which point does the pitch seem higher? ____________ [1]

(b) At which point are the sound waves more crowded together? ____________ [1]

(c) At which point does the sound have a lower pitch? ____________ [1]

Page 8 of 8