C.2 C.

3
1. SPM.1A.SL.TZ0.13

An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength that is about the size of the diameter of an atom.

What region of the electromagnetic spectrum does the wave belong to?

A. Infrared

B. Visible light

C. Ultraviolet

D. X-ray

[1]

2. SPM.1A.HL.TZ0.18

An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength that is about the size of the diameter of an atom.

What region of the electromagnetic spectrum does the wave belong to?

A. Infrared

B. Visible light

C. Ultraviolet

D. X-ray

[1]

3. 23M.1A.SL.TZ1.13

A group of students perform an experiment to find the refractive index of a glass block. They
measure various values of the angle of incidence i and angle of refraction r for a ray entering the
glass from air. They plot a graph of the sin r against sin i.

1
 They determine the gradient of the graph to be m.

Which of the following gives the critical angle of the glass?

A. sin−1(m)

B. sin−1 ( m1 )
C. m

1
D.
m

[[N/A]]

4. 23M.1A.SL.TZ1.1

What is a possible wavelength of a visible light photon?

A. 500 μm

B. 500 nm

C. 50 μm

D. 50 nm

2
 [1]

5. 23M.1A.SL.TZ1.15

Two identical sources oscillate in phase and produce constructive interference at a point P. The
intensity recorded at P is I.

What is the intensity at P from one source?

A. √ 2I
B. I

I
C.
2
I
D.
4
[1]

6. 23M.1A.SL.TZ2.12

A longitudinal wave is travelling through a medium. The variation with distance d of the
displacement x of the particles in the medium at time t is shown.

Which point is at the centre of a compression?

[1]

3
 [1]

8. 23M.2.SL.TZ1.3

(a) A transverse water wave travels to the right. The diagram shows the shape of the surface of
the water at time t = 0. P and Q show two corks floating on the surface.

[[N/A]]

(a.i) State what is meant by a transverse wave.

[1]

(a.ii) The frequency of the wave is 0.50 Hz. Calculate the speed of the wave.

[1]

4
(a.iii) Plot on the diagram the position of P at time t = 0.50 s.

[1]

(a.iv) Sketch the phase difference between the oscillations of the two corks is π radians.

[1]

(b) Monochromatic light is incident on two very narrow slits. The light that passes through the
slits is observed on a screen. M is directly opposite the midpoint of the slits. x represents
the displacement from M in the direction shown.

A student argues that what will be observed on the screen will be a total of two bright spots
opposite the slits. Explain why the student’s argument is incorrect.

[2]

5
9. 22N.1A.SL.TZ0.12

The graph shows the variation with distance x of the displacement of the particles in a wave.
The frequency of the wave is 600 Hz.

What is the speed of the wave?

A. 0.012 m s−1

B. 0.024 m s−1

C. 1.2 m s−1

D. 2.4 m s−1

[1]

6
10. 22N.1A.SL.TZ0.14

A sound wave travels through a gas at a speed of 270 m s−1. The graph shows the variation of
the displacement s of the gas particles with distance d from the source.

What is the frequency of the wave?

A. 180 Hz

B. 360 Hz

C. 450 Hz

D. 900 Hz

[1]

11. 22N.1A.SL.TZ0.14

A ray of light enters from air into a water droplet of radius r at point S. S is a vertical distance h
from the centre of the droplet. The droplet has a refractive index n and the angle of refraction is
θ.

What is sin θ?

7
 nh
A.
r
r
B.
nh
h
C.
nr
nr
D.
h
[1]

12. 22M.1A.SL.TZ1.1

What is the order of magnitude of the wavelength of visible light?

A. 10−10 m

B. 10−7 m

C. 10−4 m

D. 10−1 m

[1]

13. 22M.1A.SL.TZ1.13

A wave of period 10 ms travels through a medium. The graph shows the variation of
particle displacement with distance for the wave.

8
 What is the average speed of a particle in the medium during one cycle?

A. 4.0 m s−1

B. 8.0 m s−1

C. 16 m s−1

D. 20 m s−1

[1]

14. 22M.1A.SL.TZ1.17

A ray of light is incident on the flat side of a semi-circular glass block placed in paraffin. The ray
is totally internally reflected inside the glass block as shown.

9
 The refractive index of glass is n1 and the refractive index of paraffin is n2 .

What is correct?

n1
A. sin θ=
n2

n2
B. sin θ=
n1

1
C. sin θ=
n1

1
D. sin θ=
n2

[1]

15. 22M.1A.SL.TZ2.16

A wave travels along a string. Graph M shows the variation with time of the displacement of a
point X on the string. Graph N shows the variation with distance of the displacement of the
string. PQ and RS are marked on the graphs.

10
What is the speed of the wave?

PQ
A.
RS

B. PQ × RS

11
 RS
C.
PQ

1
D.
PQ × RS
[1]

16. 22M.1A.SL.TZ2.17

3 4
The refractive index of glass is and the refractive index of water is . What is the critical angle
2 3
for light travelling from glass to water?

A. sin
−1
( 12 )
B. sin
−1
( 23 )
C. sin
−1
( 34 )
D. sin
−1
( 89 )
[1]

17. 22M.1A.HL.TZ2.30

In two different experiments, white light is passed through a single slit and then is
either refracted through a prism or diffracted with a diffraction grating. The prism produces a
band of colours from M to N. The diffraction grating produces a first order spectrum P to Q.

What are the colours observed at M and P?

12
19. 21N.1A.SL.TZ0.16

A ray of monochromatic light is incident on the parallel interfaces between three media. The
speeds of light in the media are v1, v2 and v3.

What is correct about the speeds of light in the media?

A. v3 < v1 < v2

B. v3 < v2 < v1

C. v2 < v3 < v1

D. v2 < v1 < v3

[1]

20. 21N.1A.HL.TZ0.14

A travelling wave on the surface of a lake has wavelength λ . Two points along the wave oscillate
with the phase difference of π . What is the smallest possible distance between these two points?

13
 λ
A.
4
λ
B.
2
C. λ

D. 2 λ

[1]

21. 21M.1A.SL.TZ1.14

A sound wave has a frequency of 1.0 kHz and a wavelength of 0.33 m. What is the
distance travelled by the wave in 2.0 ms and the nature of the wave?

[1]

22. 21M.1A.SL.TZ2.16

A glass block has a refractive index in air of ng. The glass block is placed in two different
liquids: liquid X with a refractive index of nX and liquid Y with a refractive index of nY.

ng ng speed of light in liquid X

In liquid X =2 and in liquid Y =1.5 . What is ?
nX nY speed of light in liquid Y

2
A.
4
3
B.
4
4
C.
3
D. 3

[1]

23. 19N.1A.SL.TZ0.12

14
 The graph shows the variation with time for the displacement of a particle in a travelling wave.

What are the frequency and amplitude for the oscillation of the particle?

[1]

24. 19N.1A.SL.TZ0.13

A transverse travelling wave is moving through a medium. The graph shows, for one instant, the
variation with distance of the displacement of particles in the medium.

15
The frequency of the wave is 25 Hz and the speed of the wave is 100 m s–1. What is correct for
this wave?

A. The particles at X and Y are in phase.

B. The velocity of the particle at X is a maximum.

C. The horizontal distance between X and Z is 3.0 m.

D. The velocity of the particle at Y is 100 m s–1.

[1]

© International Baccalaureate Organization, 2024

16