Progressive waves: past paper questions

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• Question 25Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A source emits a progressive sound wave in the horizontal direction. The wave travels away from the source in a direction towards the right.

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• Question 24Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The graph shows the variation of the displacement with distance for a progressive wave at one instant in time. The period of the wave is $91\text{ms}$. What can be determined about the wave?

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• Question 20Oct/Nov 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Two waves pass through a point P. The graph shows the variation with time $t$ of the displacement $s$ of the two waves at point P. What is the phase difference between the two waves at point P?

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• Question 23May/June 2026, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  The graph shows the displacement of each particle in a transverse wave against distance at one instant in time. The speed of the wave is $1.6{\text{ m s}}^{-1}$. What is the frequency of the wave?

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• Question 24Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Which row describes a progressive longitudinal wave?

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• Question 20Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  X and Y are two points on the surface of water in a ripple tank.

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• Question 25Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  What is the phase difference between points P and Q on the progressive wave shown in the diagram?

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• Question 28Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Waves P and Q have the same amplitude. The waves meet in phase at point X and interfere to give a resultant wave with intensity $I$.

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• Question 21Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A transverse wave on a rope has wavelength $\lambda$ and period $T$. The graph shows the variation of the displacement of the particles of the rope with distance in the direction of travel of the wave at time $t=0$. A particle X is labelled.

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• Question 23May/June 2026, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement about waves is correct?

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• Question 26Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  The graph shows the variation of displacement with distance for two progressive waves X and Y of the same type in the same medium. The intensity of wave X is $I$. What is the intensity of wave Y?

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• Question 24Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A progressive longitudinal sound wave moves through air. The diagram shows the positions of the air particles along part of the wave at one instant.

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• Question 20Oct/Nov 2023, paper 13Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  When sound travels through air, the air particles vibrate. A graph of displacement against time for a single air particle is shown. Which graph shows how the kinetic energy of the air particle varies with time?

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• Question 3May/June 2026, paper 22Structured10 marksHas a diagram

  Two oscillating dippers are used to create progressive transverse water waves on the surface of a lake. The waves are shown from above in Figure 3.1. Wave crests are represented by a solid line.

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• Question 27Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  What could describe the time-base of a cathode-ray oscilloscope (CRO)?

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• Question 3May/June 2026, paper 23Structured14 marksHas a diagram

  State the principle of superposition.

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• Question 25May/June 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement about longitudinal and transverse wave motion for a progressive wave is correct?

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2023, paper 21Structured4 marksHas a diagram

  A train travels at a constant high speed along a straight horizontal track towards an observer standing adjacent to the track, as shown in Fig. 5.1.

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• Question 26May/June 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The diagram shows a progressive transverse wave on a stretched string at one instant in time. One point on the string is labelled X. Which point on the string is ${270}^{\circ }$ out of phase with X? A B C D

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• Question 20May/June 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  In an experiment, a student uses a microphone and a cathode-ray oscilloscope (CRO) to analyse a sound wave. The diagram shows the trace on the screen of the CRO. The student is expecting a sinusoidal waveform to be shown on the screen.

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2024, paper 21Structured9 marksHas a diagram

  Two coherent sources X and Y of microwaves of frequency $2.5\times {10}^{10}\text{ Hz}$ are a distance of $0.18\text{ m}$ apart in a vacuum, as shown in Fig. 6.1. There is a phase difference of ${90}^{\circ }$ between the waves emitted at the two sources.

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• Question 21May/June 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The graph shows the variation with time of the displacement of a particle in a progressive wave. Two measurements, $x$ and $y$, are labelled on the graph. What do $x$ and $y$ represent?

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• Question 25May/June 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A sound wave travels from the left to the right. The graph shows the variation of the displacement to the right of particles in the sound wave with distance, at one instant. Which letter represents the centre of a compression?

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• Question 24May/June 2025, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  The graph shows the variation with distance along the wave of the displacement of water particles at a particular instant in time for a transverse water wave. P, Q and R show the positions of three water particles in the wave.

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• Question 25May/June 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  An electromagnetic wave is travelling through a vacuum. What could be the wavelength and period of the electromagnetic wave?

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• Question 28May/June 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The diagram shows the shape at one instant in time of part of a stretched string as a wave travels along it from left to right. What are the directions of the velocities of the points 1, 2 and 3 on the string at this instant in time?

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• Question 21May/June 2023, paper 13Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Graph 1 shows the variation with time of displacement at a fixed distance along a progressive wave. Graph 2 represents the same wave and shows the variation with distance of displacement at an instant in time. What is the speed of the wave?

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• Question 5May/June 2025, paper 21Structured6 marksHas a diagram

  Use the definitions of speed $v$, frequency $f$ and wavelength $\lambda$ to derive the wave equation $$v=f\lambda \text{.}$$

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• Question 22May/June 2024, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  The diagram shows a representation of a wave on the screen of an oscilloscope. The y-gain is set to $3.5\text{ mV}{\text{ cm}}^{-1}$. What is the amplitude of the wave?

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• Question 4May/June 2023, paper 23Structured13 marksHas a diagram

  For a progressive wave, state what is meant by the frequency.

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