Waves, sound & optics worksheet with answers

Free printable Waves, sound & optics worksheet: 6 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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Name: ____________________ Date: ____________

1.Easy

A sound wave in water travels at 1480 m/s with a wavelength of 5.781 m. Find its frequency f.

λ = 5.781 mv = 1480 m/s

f = Hz

2.Easy

A light ray in air (n = 1.00) strikes a flat boundary with flint glass (n = 1.62) at 60° to the normal. Find the angle of refraction θ₂, measured from the normal.

n₁ = 1.00n₂ = 1.62θ₁ = 60°

θ₂ = °

3.Medium

An object 1 cm tall stands 15 cm in front of a thin converging lens with a focal length of 8 cm. Find the image height h_i (negative for an inverted image).

h_o = 1 cmd_o = 15 cmf = 8 cm

h_i = cm

4.Medium

An object stands 20 cm in front of a thin diverging lens with a focal length of 5 cm. Find the image distance d_i. Use the sign convention 1/f = 1/d_o + 1/d_i (f < 0 for a diverging lens, d_i < 0 for a virtual image).

d_o = 20 cmf = −5 cm

d_i = cm

5.Hard

Light of wavelength 532 nm falls on two slits 0.3 mm apart. The screen is 1.5 m away. Find the distance y₃ from the central bright fringe to bright fringe number 3.

λ = 532 nmd = 0.3 mmL = 1.5 mm = 3

y₃ = mm

6.Hard

Two thin lenses share an axis, 20 cm apart: lens 1 with f₁ = 8 cm and lens 2 with f₂ = 12 cm. An object stands 30 cm in front of lens 1. Find the position d_i2 of the final image measured from lens 2 (positive beyond lens 2, real-is-positive convention).

f₁ = 8 cmf₂ = 12 cms = 20 cmd_o = 30 cm

d_i2 = cm

Answer key

1. f = 256 Hz
2. θ₂ = 32.32 °
3. h_i = −1.143 cm
4. d_i = −4 cm
5. y₃ = 7.98 mm
6. d_i2 = −37.5 cm

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