Session 2 - Waves and Optics
Session 2 - Waves and Optics
Session 2 - Waves and Optics
The speed of the wave (v) can be determined using the formula:
V=
where T is the tension in the string, and μ is the linear mass density (mass per
unit length) of the string. The other factors listed (frequency, wavelength, and
amplitude) do not directly determine the wave speed; they are related by the
wave equation once the speed is known.
Question No. 2:
A. Amplitude
B. Distance from source to detector
C. Frequency
D. Phase
E. Speed
SOLUTION: ANSWER: c
A. 2λ, v
B. λ/2, v
C. λ, 2v
D. λ, v/2
E. λ/2, 2v
SOLUTION: ANSWER: b
When the frequency of the wave is doubled (from f to 2f), the speed of the
wave in the medium remains the same because the speed of a wave in a
given medium depends only on the properties of the medium (not the
frequency).
v = (2f) × ()
So, the new wavelength is λ/2 and the speed remains v.
Question No. 5:
A plane produces a sonic boom only when:
A sonic boom occurs when a plane travels at a speed greater than the
speed of sound in air (known as breaking the sound barrier). When the
plane's speed exceeds the speed of sound, it compresses sound waves
into a shock wave that travels outward, creating the characteristic
"boom." The other options (long wavelength, high frequency, altitude, or
path curvature) do not directly cause a sonic boom.
Question No. 6:
A fire whistle emits a tone of 170 Hz. Take the speed of sound in air
to be 340 m/s. The wavelength of this sound is about:
A. 0.5 m
B. 1.0 m
C. 2.0 m
D. 3.0 m
E. 340 m
SOLUTION: ANSWER: c
GIVEN:
v = 340 m/s (the speed of sound)
f = 170 Hz (frequency)
To find the wavelength (λ) of the sound, you can use the wave equation:
v=fλ
λ=
λ=
λ=2m
Question No. 7:
The displacement of a string is given by
The wave speed is the ratio of the angular frequency to the wave number.
v=
Question No. 8:
A source emits sound with a frequency of 1000 Hz.
An observer is moving in the same direction with
the same speed, 100m/s. If the speed of sound is
340m/s, the observer hears sound with a
frequency of:
A. 294 Hz
B. 545 Hz
C. 1000 Hz
D. 1830 Hz
E. 3400 Hz
SOLUTION: ANSWER: c
When both the source and the observer are moving in the same direction with the
same speed, the relative motion between them is zero. This means that the observer
will hear the sound at the same frequency as emitted by the source because there is
no Doppler effect in this case.
Given:
Frequency of the source (f) = 1000 Hz
Speed of the source and observer = 100 m/s (same for both)
Speed of sound = 340 m/s
Since both are moving at the same speed in the same direction, the observed
frequency (f′) remains:
f′ = f = 1000 Hz
C. 1/2
D. 1/
SOLUTION: ANSWER: b
To double the fundamental frequency of a vibrating string, we need to understand how the frequency depends on
the tension in the string. The fundamental frequency (f) of a stretched string is given by:
f= (1)
where:
L = length of the string (constant if clamped at both ends),
T = tension in the string,
μ = linear mass density of the string (constant for a given string).
If we want to double the frequency (f → 2f), we set up the equation:
2f = (2)
Dividing this equation by the original frequency equation:
=
Squaring both sides:
4= 4T = T new
Therefore, to double the fundamental frequency, the tension must be increased by a factor of 4.
Question No. 10:
A 40-cm long string, with one end clamped and the other
free to move transversely, is vibrating in its fundamental
standing wave mode. If the wave speed is 320 cm/s the
frequency is:
A. 32 Hz
B. 16 Hz
C. 8Hz
D. 4Hz
E. 2Hz
SOLUTION: ANSWER: e
To find the frequency, we need to use the relationship between the wave speed, wavelength, and
frequency for a standing wave. Since the string is clamped at one end and free at the other, it forms
a standing wave with a node at the clamped end and an antinode at the free end.
For a string with one end fixed and the other free, The simplest standing wave that can form under
these circumstances is one-quarter wavelength long:
L=
Given:
L = 40 cm
v = 320 cm/s
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 7
E. 8
SOLUTION: ANSWER: d
Given:
Wavelength of each wave, λ = 5m
Amplitude of each wave, A = 10cm = 0.1m
Length of the string, L = 20m
A. 0.0125 Hz
B. 0.25 Hz
C. 100 Hz
D. 630 Hz
E. 2000 Hz
SOLUTION: ANSWER: c
To find the frequency, we'll use the wave speed equation for a string and the relationship between
wave speed, frequency, and wavelength.
Given:
Linear mass density (μ) = 0.0010 kg/m
Tension (T) = 0.40 N
Wavelength (λ) = 20 cm = 0.20 m
f=?
Calculate the wave speed (v)
The speed of a wave on a stretched string is given by:
v=
Substituting the given values:
v = = = 20 m/s
A. 294 Hz
B. 545 Hz
C. 1000 Hz
D. 1830 Hz
E. 3400 Hz
SOLUTION: ANSWER: d
To solve this problem, we use the Doppler effect formula when both the source and the
observer are moving towards each other. The formula is:
f′ = f (
where:
f = 1000 Hz (original frequency),
v = 340 m/s (speed of sound),
vobserver = 100 m/s (speed of the observer),
vsource = 100 m/s (speed of the source).
f′ = 1000 Hz (
Rounding to the nearest whole number, the observer hears a frequency of approximately 1830
Hz.
Question No. 14:
A source emits sound with a frequency of 1000 Hz. It is
moving at 20m/s toward a stationary reflecting wall. If the
speed of sound is 340m/s an observer at rest directly
behind the source hears a beat frequency of:
A. 11 Hz
B. 86 Hz
C. 97 Hz
D. 118 Hz
E. 183 Hz
Explanation:
f = frequency observed by observer when source goes away from the
SOLUTION: 1ANSWER: d
observer
f2 = when source coming towards observer
f1 = f ( ) ; f2 = f ( )
where:
f = original frequency
= 340 m/ (speed of sound)
vsource = 20 m/s (speed of the source).
A. 5 800 m
B. 6 200 m
C. 8 400 m
D. 12 000m
E. 16 000m
SOLUTION: ANSWER: b
Explanation:
Given:
h = 10,000 m
v = 400 m/s
vs = 340 m/s (speed of sound is)
d = ? the horizontal distance from the point directly
overhead to the plane when an observer on the ground hears the sonic boom.
Shock wave
sin(α) = 1/M, M = 400 m/s / 340 m/s
where M is the mach number, the ratio of plane speed to the speed of sound.
For the given speeds, we have ...
sin(α) = 1/(400/340) = 17/20
α = sin -1 (17/20) ≈ 58.2°
Distance
When the shock wave passes the observer, the angle of elevation to the plane is α. This means the
relationship between the altitude (a) and horizontal distance (d) of the plane is ...
Tan (α) = Opposite/Adjacent
tan(α) = a/d
For an altitude of 10,000 m, the horizontal distance to the plane is ...
d = a / tan(α) = (10 000 m)/tan 58.20)
d = 10 000 m / 1.6128 = 6 200.39 m
The horizontal distance to the plane is approximately 6 200 m when the observer hears the
sonic boom.
OPTICS
Light and its
Properties, Reflection,
Refraction, and Lenses
Question No. 1:
Consider: radio waves (r), visible light (v), infrared
light (i), x-rays (x), and ultraviolet light (u). In order
of increasing frequency, they are:
A. r, v, i, x, u
B. r, i, v, u, x
C. i, r, v, u, x
D. i, v, r, u, x
E. r, i, v, x, u
SOLUTION: ANSWER: b
Question No. 2:
The order of increasing wavelength for blue (b), green (g), red (r),
and yellow (y) light is:
A. r, y, g, b
B. r, g, y, b
C. g, y, b, r
D. b, g, y, r
E. b, y, g, r
SOLUTION: ANSWER: d
Question No. 3:
A. Gauss’ law
B. Snell’s law
C. Faraday’s law
D. Cole’s law
E. law of sines
SOLUTION: ANSWER: b
Snell's law describes how light bends when it passes from one medium to another, based on the
refractive indices (n1 and n2) and the angles of incidence (θ1) and refraction (θ2).
The index of refraction of a substance is: the speed of light in vacuum divided by the speed
of light in the substance
Question No. 4:
A. 560
B. 470
C. 340
D. 220
E. 180
SOLUTION: ANSWER: c
To find the critical angle for total internal reflection at the benzene-air interface, we
can use the formula:
sin(θc) = n2 / n1
where:
θ = critical angle,
n1 = 1.80 (index of refraction of benzene)
n2 = 1.0003 (index of refraction of air, approximately 1.00).
Thus, the formula becomes:
sin(θc) = 1.00 / 1.80 = 0.556
θc = sin-1 0.556
θc = 33.77
Therefore, the critical angle for total internal reflection at a benzene-air interface is
about: C. 34°
Question No. 7:
A concave spherical mirror has a focal length
of 12 cm. If an object is placed 18 cm in front
of it, the image position is:
1 1 1
= + ,𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑓 𝑑𝑜 𝑑𝑖
Where,
f = focal length = 12 cm
do = object distance = 18 cm
di = image distance = ?
1 1 1
= +
𝑓 𝑑𝑜 𝑑𝑖
1 1 1
= +
12𝑐𝑚 18 𝑐𝑚 𝑑𝑖
1 1 1
= −
𝑑𝑖 12 𝑐𝑚 18 𝑐𝑚
12𝑐𝑚(18𝑐𝑚)
𝑑𝑖= =36𝑐𝑚,𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑓 𝑡h𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟
(18−12)𝑐𝑚
Question No. 8:
A convex spherical mirror has a focal length
of 12 cm. If an object is placed 6 cm in front
of it the image position is:
1 1 1
= + ,𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑓 𝑑𝑜 𝑑𝑖
Where,
f = focal length = 12 cm
do = object distance = -6 cm
di = image distance = ?
1 1 1
= +
𝑓 𝑑𝑜 𝑑𝑖
1 1 1
= +
12𝑐𝑚 − 6 𝑐𝑚 𝑑𝑖
1 1 1
= +
𝑑𝑖 12 𝑐𝑚 6 𝑐𝑚
12𝑐𝑚(6𝑐𝑚)
𝑑𝑖= =4𝑐𝑚, 𝑏𝑒h𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡h𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟
(6+12)𝑐𝑚
Question No. 9:
A concave spherical mirror has a focal length
of 12 cm. If an erect object is placed 6 cm in
front of it:
Where,
f = focal length = 12 cm The magnification m for a mirror is given by:
do = object distance = 6 cm m = hi / ho = - di / do
di = image distance = ?
m = - (-12) / 6
1 1 1
= +
𝑓 𝑑𝑜 𝑑𝑖 m = + 2, positive means upright image or erect
1 1 1
= +
12𝑐𝑚 6 𝑐𝑚 𝑑𝑖
1 1 1
= −
𝑑𝑖 12 𝑐𝑚 6 𝑐𝑚
12𝑐𝑚(6𝑐𝑚)
𝑑𝑖= =−12𝑐𝑚,𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑓 𝑡h𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟
(6−12)𝑐𝑚
Question No. 10:
A. 0.39 cm
B. 0.77 cm
C. 1.5 cm
D. 3.0 cm
E. 6.0 cm
SOLUTION: ANSWER: b
Solve for di = ?
hi / h0 = di / do
hi / 140 cm = 6.032/1100 m
hi = 0.77 cm
Question No. 11:
A. 0.5 cm
B. 1 cm
C. 1.5 cm
D. 6 cm
E. 24 cm
SOLUTION: ANSWER: d
Solve for di = ?
hi / h0 = - di / do
hi / 3 cm = - (-8 cm) / 4 cm
hi / 3 cm = 8 cm / 4 cm
hi = 6 cm