Free Stationary Waves MCQs with Answers
2 Stationary Waves MCQs from Physics, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
2 questions
1. A stationary wave is formed when
- A. two identical waves travel in the same direction
- B. two identical waves travel in opposite directions and superpose
- C. a wave is absorbed by a wall
- D. a single wave travels through a very long medium
Explanation: Usually the incident wave and its own reflection interfere, producing a pattern with fixed nodes of zero displacement and antinodes of maximum displacement. No energy is transported along a stationary wave, unlike a progressive wave, which is the essential difference between them. The distance between two adjacent nodes is half a wavelength.
Correct answer: two identical waves travel in opposite directions and superpose2. The distance between two consecutive nodes in a stationary wave is
- A. one wavelength
- B. half a wavelength
- C. a quarter of a wavelength
- D. two wavelengths
Explanation: Nodes recur every half wavelength, with an antinode midway between each pair, so measuring the node separation is the standard way of finding the wavelength in a laboratory experiment. The distance from a node to the neighbouring antinode is therefore a quarter of a wavelength. Doubling the node separation gives the full wavelength.
Correct answer: half a wavelength