中文（繁體）
中文（简体）
English
S3 Physics: Sound Waves, Frequency, Speed and Echo (Paper 1: basics)
S3 Physics: Sound Waves, Frequency, Speed and Echo (Paper 1: basics)
This first paper settles the basics: separate the medium, the frequency and the amplitude, use v = f lambda three ways and finish with an echo.
Direct answers After each question ask which one it wanted: a wavelength, a frequency or a one-way distance.
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: S3 Physics: Sound Waves, Frequency, Speed and Echo |
| Level | S3 Physics |
02 Questions (10 items)
- FoundationWhat does sound need in order to travel?
- FoundationWhat does a higher frequency mean for a sound?
- FoundationWhat happens when the amplitude of a sound wave grows?
- IntermediateWith a speed of 340 m/s in air and a frequency of 170 Hz, what is the wavelength?
- IntermediateAt 340 m/s and 500 Hz, what is the wavelength?
- IntermediateGiven a wavelength of 0.5 m and a speed of 340 m/s, what is the frequency?
- ChallengeA clap is heard as an echo 0.6 s later at 340 m/s. How far away is the wall?
- ChallengeAt 340 m/s, what is the shortest distance for an echo to be heard separately?
- ChallengeA tuning fork at 250 Hz vibrates for 3 s. How many vibrations is that?
- Error redoA student says sound travels faster in a vacuum because there is no air resistance. What is the correct answer?
03 Answers and one-line notes
| # | Answer | One-line note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A medium such as air, water or a solid; with no medium in a vacuum it cannot travel | Sound is a vibration handed on by particles, so no particles means no vibration and no sound. |
| 2 | A higher pitch | Frequency counts vibrations per second and more of them means a higher pitch, which is not the same as loudness. |
| 3 | It becomes louder while the pitch stays the same | Amplitude is the size of the vibration, so a larger swing carries more energy and sounds louder. |
| 4 | 2 m, which is 340 divided by 170 | Wavelength is speed over frequency, so metres per second over hertz gives metres. |
| 5 | 0.68 m | Dividing 340 by 500 gives 0.68, and a higher frequency always means a shorter wavelength in the same medium. |
| 6 | 680 Hz, which is 340 divided by 0.5 | Rearranging v = f lambda as f = v over lambda gives the answer at once. |
| 7 | 102 m, which is 340 times 0.6 divided by 2 | The sound covers 204 m going and returning, so the wall is half of that. |
| 8 | 17 m | The ear needs about 0.1 s to separate two sounds, and 340 times 0.1 divided by 2 is 17 m. |
| 9 | 750 vibrations | At 250 vibrations each second, three seconds gives 750. |
| 10 | Sound cannot travel in a vacuum at all because there is no medium to vibrate | Speed depends on how the particles are packed, fastest in solids, but a vacuum has no particles to pass the vibration on. |
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.
Three basics: sound needs a medium so it cannot travel through a vacuum, frequency sets pitch while amplitude sets loudness, and speed equals frequency times wavelength.Tutor Registration →
Questions and answers are written originally by the TutorZone team and are not taken from any school, publisher or examination authority paper. Every value is checked by computer.