Free Waves MCQs with Answers
1,281 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.
Progressive waves transfer energy through oscillations, with wavelength, frequency, amplitude and wave speed related by v = fλ; sound speed depends on the medium. Superposition produces interference and stationary waves in strings and organ pipes, while simple harmonic motion describes the oscillation itself and must be distinguished from wave propagation.
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- A. silence zone
- B. interference
- C. beats
- D. resonance
Explanation: The repeated rise and fall of sound loudness occurs when two close frequencies interfere, producing alternating constructive and…
Correct answer: beats- A. decreases
- B. increases
- C. remains unchanged
- D. becomes zero
Explanation: Superposition changes the displacement and amplitude of overlapping waves, but it does not change the wave speed because the speed is…
Correct answer: remains unchanged- A. constructive interference
- B. destructive interference
- C. beats
- D. resonance
Explanation: A silence zone forms where two sound waves arrive with opposite phase and cancel one another, producing destructive interference and…
Correct answer: destructive interference- A. the sum of the frequencies of two tuning forks
- B. the difference of the frequencies of two tuning forks
- C. the ratio of the frequencies of two tuning forks
- D. the frequency of either of the two tuning forks
Explanation: The beat frequency is the absolute difference between the two source frequencies, fbeat = |f1 - f2|, measured in hertz or beats per…
Correct answer: the difference of the frequencies of two tuning forks- A. velocity
- B. wavelength
- C. amplitude
- D. frequency
Explanation: When light enters a different medium, its speed and wavelength change, but its frequency is fixed by the source and remains unchanged at…
Correct answer: frequency- A. sound wave only
- B. light wave only
- C. both sound and light waves
- D. neither sound nor light wave
Explanation: The Doppler effect is the apparent change in frequency caused by relative motion between source and observer, and it applies to both…
Correct answer: both sound and light waves- A. 0 degrees
- B. 180 degrees
- C. 270 degrees
- D. 90 degrees
Explanation: When a sound wave is reflected from a denser medium, the reflected wave undergoes a phase change of 180 degrees or pi radians.
Correct answer: 180 degrees- A. Independent of 'x'
- B. Proportional to 'x'
- C. Proportional to 'x2'
- D. Proportional to '√x'
Explanation: The total energy in SHM is independent of x.Because E=1/2(kA2), it stays constant no matter where the block is in its motion.
Correct answer: Independent of 'x'- A. Stress is inversely proportional to strain till elastic limit
- B. Stress is directly proportional to strain till elastic limit
- C. Stress is independent of strain
- D. Stress is proportional to elastic modulus
Explanation: Hooke's law is a principle in physics that relates to the elasticity of materials.
Correct answer: Stress is directly proportional to strain till elastic limit- A. Higher
- B. Lower
- C. Intermediate
- D. Zero
Explanation: According to Hooke's law, the force F required to extend or compress a spring by some distance x is directly proportional to that…
Correct answer: Higher- A. 2f
- B. f/2
- C. F
- D. None of these
Explanation: In a simple pendulum, the potential energy is maximum when the displacement is maximum, and the kinetic energy is maximum when the…
Correct answer: 2f- A. 405
- B. 402
- C. 395
- D. 318
- E. 401
Explanation: The beat frequency is given by the difference in frequency between the two strings:f_beat = |fA - fB|We are given that the original beat…
Correct answer: 318- A. 0.03 mm
- B. 0.004 mm
- C. 0.00006 mm
- D. 0.0005 mm
Explanation: The explanation is given below:In the double slit experiment, the position of bright fringes is given by the equation:y = (mλD)/dWhere y…
Correct answer: 0.0005 mm114. The ratio of the fundamental frequency of an open end pipe to a pipe whose one end is closed is:
- A. 1: 1
- B. 1:2
- C. 2:1
- D. 1:4
Explanation: (A) Option 1: 1:1 ratio. This option states that the fundamental frequency of an open-end pipe is in a 1:1 ratio with a pipe whose one end…
Correct answer: 2:1- A. f / 2
- B. f
- C. 2f
- D. 4f
Explanation: The fundamental frequency of a cylindrical resonance tube opened at both ends is determined by the length of the air column.
Correct answer: f / 2- A. f/2
- B. f
- C. 3f/2
- D. 2f
Explanation: When a cylindrical resonance tube is opened at both ends, the fundamental frequency of the air column is directly proportional to the…
Correct answer: 2f- A. Increase
- B. Decrease.
- C. Become zero.
- D. Remain unchanged.
Explanation: The correct answer is that the frequency will decrease. When the prongs of a tuning fork are coated with a thick layer of wax, the added…
Correct answer: Decrease.- A. Matter waves
- B. Transverse waves
- C. Longitudinal waves
- D. Electromagnetic waves
Explanation: Sound waves are a classic example of longitudinal waves. In longitudinal waves, the displacement of the medium is parallel to the…
Correct answer: Longitudinal waves- A. 0.1 s.
- B. 1 s.
- C. 10 s.
- D. 100 s.
Explanation: The time period of a wave is the reciprocal of its frequency. Thus, the time period T = 1/frequency.
Correct answer: 0.1 s.- A. Equal in all cases.
- B. Greatest in case I.
- C. Greatest in case II.
- D. Greatest in case III.
Explanation: Frequency is defined as the number of wave cycles that pass a given point per unit time.
Correct answer: Greatest in case III.