PHYSICS

F.Sc / ICS – 1st Year

Practice Sheet Chapter 8
MCQs
1. Two pipes one is open and other is closed at one end are of same length, then the ratio of their
fundamental frequencies is:
(a) 1:2 (b) 2:1 (c) 1:1 (d) 1:4

2. A sound wave of frequency 400 Hz, is travelling at a speed of 320 ms-1. What is the difference in phase
between two points on the wave 0.2 m apart?
  2 4
(a) (b) rad (c) rad (d) rad
4 2 5 5

3. The speed of sound in air at 0 is 332 ms-1. Its speed at 20 oC is:

(a) 333.2 ms1 (b) 335 ms1 (c) 330 ms1 (d) 344.2 ms1

4. Stationary waves are generated on string of length “ l ”. Its fundamental frequency is given by:
v 2l
(a) f1 = vxl (b) f1 = (c) f1 = (d) f1 = 2(vxl)
2l v

5. Sound waves cannot travel through:

(a) air (b) material medium (c) water (d) vacuum

6. If the pressure of the gas is doubled then the speed of sound is:
(a) also doubled (b) become half
(c) not affected (d) increase by four times

7. A distance between two consecutive nodes:

 
(a) (b) (c) 2 (d) 
2 4

8. The error in the value of speed of sound calculated by Newton at STP is about:
(a) 14% (b) 15% (c) 16% (d) 18%

9. The speed of sound is greater in solids due to their high:

(a) density (b) pressure (c) temperature (d) elasticity
10. If 20 waves pass through a medium in 1 sec, with a speed of 20ms-1 then the wavelength is:
(a) 20m (b) 40m (c) 400m (d) 1m

11. A stretched wire with clamped ends has a fundamental frequency of 1000 Hz. What will be the new
fundamental frequency if the tension in the wire increase by 2 times:
(a) 980 Hz (b) 1020 Hz (c) 1010 Hz (d) 1410 Hz

12. The fixed ends of a vibrating string are:

(a) antinodes (b) nodes (c) overtones (d) neither node nor antinodes

13. When two identical waves move in the same direction, they give rise to:
(a) standing wave (b) interference (c) beats (d) none

14. With the rise of temperature, the velocity of sound:

(a) decrease (b) increase (c) remains constant (d) becomes zero

15. A cylindrical tube, open at both ends has a fundamental frequency ‘n’ in air. The tube is dipped
vertically in water so that half of it is in water. The fundamental frequency of air column is now:
n 3n
(a) (b) (c) n (d) 2n
2 4

16. On increasing the tension, frequency of vibration of a string:

(a) decrease (b) increases
(c) remains constant (d) depend of the material of wire

17. The waves which do not require any medium for their propagation are called:
(a) mechanical waves (b) matter waves
(c) electromagnetic waves (d) compression waves

18. The velocity of sound in air is 360 ms-1 while that in water 1440 ms-1. If the wavelength of sound in air is
2 cm, that in water is:
1
(a) cm (b) 2cm (c) 8cm (d) 16cm
2

19. When a transverse wave is reflected on going from a denser medium to a rarer medium, then:
 (a) There is 180 phase lift (b) there is no change in phase
(c) a crest is converted into through (d) circular wave front

20. A sound source is moving towards stationary listener with 1/10th of the speed of sound. The ratio of
apparent to real frequency is:
2 2
9 10 11  11 
(a)   (b) (c) (d)  
 10  9 10  10 

21. Beats can be heard when the difference of frequency is not more than:
(a) 8Hz (b) 4Hz (c) 10Hz (d) 6Hz

22. The speed of sound in air would become double than its speed at 20C , is:
(a) 313C (b) 586C (c) 1172C (d) 899C

23. Laplace assumed that sound propagation in a gas takes place under:
(a) isothermal conditions (b) Adiabatic conditions
(c) Isobaric conditions (d) Isochoric conditions

24. The velocity of sound in vacuum is:

(a) 332 ms1 (b) 333 ms1 (c) 280 ms1 (d) zero

25. The wave length of the fundamental mode of vibration of a closed end pipe is:
l
(a) (b) l (c) 2l (d) 4l
2

26. Star moving away from the earth shows:

(a) red shift (b) blue shift (c) Doppler’s shift (d) frequency shift

27. Silence zone takes place due to:

(a) Constructive interference (b) Destructive interference
(c) Beats (d) Resonance

28. Speed of sound in air at a given temperature is 350ms1 . An engine blows a whistle at a frequency of
1200 cycle s 1 . It is approaching the observer with velocity 50 ms 1 . The apparent frequency is cycle s 1
as heard by the observer will be:
(a) 600 (b) 1050 (c) 1400 (d) 2400
29. A closed organ pipe and an open organ pipe have their first overtones of identical frequency. Their
respective lengths are in the ratio:
(a) 1:2 (b) 2:3 (c) 3:4 (d) 3:5

30. The system followed by Newton for the determination of speed of sound in air:
(a) Adiabatic (b) Isothermal (c) Isobaric (d) Isochoric

31. Ratio of isothermal modulus of elasticity to adiabatic modulus of elasticity is:

1 1
(a)  (b) (c)  (d)
 

32. A tube open at both ends and containing air, produces, when excited, the fundamental note of
frequency 512 Hz. If the same tube is closed at one and now, the fundamental frequency that can be
excited is (in Hz):
(a) 1024 (b) 256 (c) 512 (d) 128

33. A geo-stationary satellite emits a light signal which is observed by an observer on earth then according
to observer the wavelength of wave will:
(a) Increase (b) Decrease (c) Remain same (d) None of these

34. A stretched string of length 1 m has mass per unit length 0.5 gm1 . The tension in the string is 20 N. If it
is plucked at a distance of 25 cm from one end, the frequency of vibration will be:
(a) 100 Hz (b) 300 Hz (c) 200 Hz (d) 400 Hz

35. The frequency of the third harmonic produced by a string of length , clamped at both ends is (v is the
velocity of waves in the string):
1 F 3 F 1 F 1 F
(a) (b) (c) (d)
M 2 M 2 M 4 M

1
36. An observer moves towards a stationary source of sound with a speed th of the speed of sound. The
5
wavelength and frequency of waves emitted by the source are “  ” and “f” respectively. The apparent
frequency and wavelength recorded by the observer are respectively:
(a) 1.2 f ,1.2 (b) f ,1.2 (c) 1.2 f ,  (d) 0.8 f ,0.8
37. A particle is in simple harmonic motion with period 4 s. At time t  0 it is at the equilibrium point. Of
the following times, at which time is it farthest from the equilibrium point?
(a) 2.0 s (b) 4.0 s (c) 2.8 s (d) 6.0 s

38. The fundamental frequency of a closed organ pipe is 75 Hz. The frequency of the first overtone is:
(a) 150 Hz (b) 225 Hz (c) 300 Hz (d) 375 Hz

39. A train moves towards a stationary observer with speed 34 ms 1 . The train sounds a whistle and its
frequency registered is f1 . If the train’s speed is reduced to 17 ms 1 , the frequency registered is f 2 . If
f1
the speed of sound is, then the ratio is:
f2
18 1 19
(a) (b) (c) 2 (d)
19 2 18

SHORT QUESTIONS
1. How electromagnetic waves are generated?

2. Define transverse and longitudinal waves.

3. Show that v  f

4. Calculate phase difference if path difference between two waves is 3  2

5. Find the temperature at which the velocity of sound in air is two times its velocity at 20 o C.

6. State and explain principle of superposition.

7. Define constructive and destructive interference. Also write conditions for path difference.

8. Define beats.

9. Explain reflection of waves.

10. Explain stationary waves in air column, when pipe is closed at one end.

11. Is it possible for two identical waves travelling in the same direction along a string to give rise to a
stationary wave?
12. Explain the terms crest, trough, node, antinodes.

13. Why does sound travel faster in solids than is gases?

14. How beats are useful in tuning musical instruments?

15. As a result of distant explosion, an observer senses a ground tremor and then hears the explosion.
Explain the time difference.

16. Explain why sound travels faster in warm air than in cold air?

17. How should a sound source move with respect to an observer so that the frequency of its sound does
not change?
 LONG QUESTIONS
Q.1
(a) Show that Newton’s formula for speed of sound in air was wrong.
(b) A stationary wave is established in a string which is 120 cm long and fixed at the both ends. The string
vibrates in four segment, at a frequency of 120 Hz. Determine its wavelength and the fundamental
frequency?

Q.2
(a) Explain stationary waves in a stretched string.
(b) The frequency of the note emitted by a stretched string is 300 Hz. What will be the frequency of this
note when the length of the wave is reduced by one-third without changing the tension.

Q.3
(a) State Doppler effect. Calculate observed frequency when observer moves towards and away from a
stationary source of sound.
(b) A church organ consists of pipes, each open at one end, of different lengths. The minimum length is 30
mm and the largest is 4 m. Calculate the frequency range of fundamental notes. (Speed of sound=340ms-1)