A worker hits one end of a long steel rail with a hammer.
The sound travels through the steel rail and also through the air to a person standing at the other end of the rail.
The sound has a frequency of 1.2 kHz1.2\ \text{kHz}1.2 kHz.
The Table shows the speed of sound in air and in steel.
Table
| Material | Speed of sound in m/s\text{m/s}m/s |
|---|---|
| air | 340 |
| steel | 5100 |
Calculate the wavelength of the sound in the steel rail.
At the far end of the rail, some of the sound passes from the steel into the air.
Describe and explain how the frequency, speed and wavelength of the sound change as it passes from the steel into the air.
The rail is 850 m long.
Calculate the time between the person hearing the sound through the rail and hearing it through the air.
52 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Physics 5.1 Wave behaviour, covering 5.1.1 Describing wave motion, 5.1.2 Wavelength and frequency, 5.1.3 Wave speed, frequency and wavelength, 5.1.4 Wave speed problems, 5.1.5 Transverse and longitudinal waves, 5.1.6 Sound waves crossing between media, 5.1.7 Reflection, transmission and absorption at interfaces, 5.1.8 Sound waves and vibrations in solids, 5.1.9 Frequency range and human hearing, 5.1.10 Modelling waves with water ripples and sound, and 5.1.11 Evidence that the wave travels, not the medium. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.