S2 Science: Sound Waves And Hearing (Paper 4 (error Clinic))

S2 Science: Sound Waves and Hearing (Paper 4 (error clinic))

2026-11-14

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Tutor Prep Guide · Sound as a longitudinal wave needing a medium, frequency and amplitude, comparing speeds, echo ranging and uses of ultrasound

S2 Science: Sound Waves and Hearing (Paper 4 (error clinic))

This paper reworks the commonest wrong answers, including sound in a vacuum, amplitude and frequency, halving an echo and the wavelength formula.

Direct answers　The point of error clinic practice is to find whether the fault was the concept, the units or the order of the calculation.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	20
Difficulty mix	Foundation 3 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 3 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S2 Science: Sound Waves and Hearing
Level	S2

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationError: a student answered that sound can travel through a vacuum. What is correct?
FoundationError: larger amplitude was answered as higher pitch. What is the correct link?
FoundationError: higher frequency was answered as louder. What is correct?
IntermediateError: with a speed of 340 m/s and an echo after 4 s a student answered 1360 m. What is correct?
IntermediateError: a student wrote that sound is a transverse wave. What kind of wave is sound in air?
IntermediateError: for 170 Hz at 340 m/s a student found a wavelength of 57 800 m. What is correct?
ChallengeError: a student thought ultrasound is a sharp sound we hear clearly. What is correct?
ChallengeError: a student said sound is slower in water than in air. What is the correct comparison?
ChallengeError: a student thought adding 10 dB adds ten units of intensity. What is correct?
Error redoError: thunder heard 6 s after the flash was answered as 6 km. What is the sensible estimate?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	Sound cannot travel through a vacuum because it needs a medium	A vacuum has no particles, so there is nothing to carry the vibration.
2	Amplitude sets loudness while frequency sets pitch	How hard you hit changes the amplitude, and how fast it vibrates changes the pitch.
3	Higher frequency means higher pitch and says nothing certain about loudness	Pitch and loudness are two independent descriptions of a sound.
4	680 m	1360 m is the round trip, so the one way distance is half of it.
5	A longitudinal wave, with particles vibrating along the direction of travel	In a transverse wave the vibration is at right angles to the travel direction, which is not the case here.
6	2 m	Wavelength is speed divided by frequency, not multiplied, so 340 divided by 170 gives 2 m.
7	Ultrasound is above 20 000 Hz and cannot be heard by humans	Not hearing it does not mean it is absent, and instruments can detect it.
8	Sound is faster in water, about 1500 m/s against about 340 m/s in air	The denser the packing of particles, the faster sound travels.
9	Every 10 dB added multiplies the intensity by ten	The decibel is logarithmic, so adding 10 means multiplying by ten.
10	About 2 km	At 340 m/s sound covers about a third of a kilometre per second, so 6 s is about 2 km.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

For sound questions ask three things: is the journey one way or a round trip, which medium is used, and is the question about frequency or amplitude.Tutor Registration →

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