A student uses a ripple tank to find the wavelength of water waves.
She measures the length of ten complete waves and divides by ten, instead of measuring one wave.
Why does this improve her measurement?
It makes each wave larger, so the waves are easier to see
It reduces the uncertainty in the value of one wavelength
It means that the frequency no longer needs to be measured
It stops the waves reflecting from the sides of the tank
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.