Back questions on Sound

1.

The loudness of a sound is determined mainly by its

a) amplitude.
b) speed.

2.

An ambulance siren at rest puts out a sound with a frequency of 440 Hz. If the ambulance is
moving towards me at 40 m/s, I will hear a frequency of
a) 440 Hz.
b) 394 Hz.

3.

c) lower than
d) unrelated to

If the source of a sound and a listener are moving towards each other, the pitch detected by the
listener is always _______ the pitch of the source.
a) higher than
b) equal to

7.

c) a frequency greater than 20,000 Hz.

d) a loudness greater than 120 dB.

If the source of a sound and a listener are moving away from each other, the pitch detected by
the listener is ____________ the pitch of the source.
a) higher than
b) equal to

6.

c) twice the size of an atom.

d) one-tenth the size of an atom.

The word ultrasonic refers to a sound that has

a) a speed faster that 1100 ft/sec.
b) an amplitude greater than 1 mm.

5.

c) 220 Hz.
d) 498 Hz.

The amplitude of a 440 Hz sound wave at the threshold of hearing will be approximately
a) equal to its wavelength.
b) the size of a nucleus.

4.

c) frequency.
d) pitch.

c) double
d) lower than

At the threshold of hearing, the vibrations of the air molecules striking the eardrum are
a) 2000 .
b) smaller than the size of an atom.

c) the size of a protein molecule.

d) the size of the tympanic membrane.

8.

The unit best equipped to measure the human response to a sound's loudness is the
a) Watt per square meter.
b) decibel.

9.

A sound wave can be best described as a

a) transverse pressure wave.
b) transverse bow wave.

10.

c) 579.6 Hz
c) 624.3 Hz

The hearing frequency range of an average human non-rock star is from

a) 1 to 100 Hz.
b) 20 to 20,000 Hz.

14.

c) 579.6 Hz
d) 624.3 Hz

In the situation described in question 11, at what frequency do you hear the note?
a) 485.5 Hz
b) 512.0 Hz

13.

c) can propagate through a solid.

d) cannot propagate through a vacuum.

While driving away from you at 40 m/s, I play a C note on my keyboard, which is loud enough
for all to hear. If a standard C note has a frequency of 512 Hz, at what frequency do I hear the
note?
a) 458.5 Hz
b) 512.0 Hz

12.

c) longitudinal pressure wave.

d) longitudinal bow wave.

Unlike light, sound

a) can propagate through air.
b) can propagate through water.

11.

c) Newton.
d) Hertz (cycle/second)

c) 100 to 1000 Hz.

d) 200 to 20,000 Hz.

Assume I set off a nuclear bomb on the moon. I would quickly see the explosion from a
spaceship in lunar orbit, but not hear it, because
a) light travels faster than sound.
b) there is no air on the moon.

c) the light is refracted around the moon.

d) sound waves don't travel in straight lines.

15.
(SHIP THIS) Suppose I give you the following fact: A sound wave that has a loudness of 30
dB is 100 times
as intense as a sound wave that has a loudness of 10 dB. Then you could
assume that the
intensity of a 90 dB sound is __________ as intense as a 70 dB sound.
a) less than 100 times
b) exactly 100 times
16.

c) more than 100 times

d) There is not enough information.

The horn on a standard car has frequency (at rest) of 440 Hz (an A note). You see a car, but
it is so far away from you that you can't tell by looking whether the car is moving towards you,
away from you, or standing still. The car blows its (rather loud) horn, and you hear a C note
(512 Hz). What is the car doing?
a) Moving away from you.
b) Moving towards you.

c) Not moving at all.

d) There is not enough information.

Answer Key:
1. A

2. D

3. D

4. C

5. C

6. A

7. B

8. B

9. C

10. D

11. B

12. A

13. B

14. B

15. A

16. B