Two students measure the speed of sound in air on a playing field.
Student A stands 400 m from student B. Student A bangs two cymbals together. Student B starts a stopwatch when they see the cymbals hit and stops it when they hear the sound.
The Table shows the results.
Table
| Attempt | Time in s\text{s}s |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.22 |
| 2 | 1.15 |
| 3 | 1.30 |
| 4 | 1.17 |
Calculate the mean time.
Calculate the speed of sound in air from these results.
Explain why student B can start the stopwatch when they see the cymbals hit.
Describe one change to the method that would make the measurement of the speed of sound more accurate. Give a reason for your answer.
112 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 4.1 Wave properties, covering 4.1.1 Waves transfer energy and information, 4.1.2 Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, period and wavefronts, 4.1.3 Longitudinal and transverse waves, 4.1.4 The wave speed equations, 4.1.5 Measuring wave velocity, and 4.1.6 Calculating depth or distance from waves. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.