Case Studies: Waves - Questions
The Case Studies: Waves Concept Builder is comprised of 36 questions. The questions are divided into 12 different Question Groups. Questions in the same group are rather similar to one another. The Concept Builder is coded to select at random a question from each group until a student is successful with that group of questions.
There are three different activities that can be engaged in through the Concept Builder. Those three activities are described as follows:
- Wavelength and Amplitude: Question Groups 1-4. In the given case, learners are presented with a wave pattern having a given wavelength and amplitude. They then must identify from among three options the wave pattern that has two times or one-half the wavelength and amplitude.
- Frequency, Speed, and Wavelength: Question Groups 5-8. In the given case, learners are presented with a wave pattern having a given wavelength and amplitude. They then must identify from among three options the wave pattern that would result from two times or one-half the frequency or speed.
- Tension, Density, and Speed: Question Groups 9-12. In the given case, learners are presented with a wave pattern having a given wavelength and amplitude. They then must identify from among three options the wave pattern that would result from four times or one-fourth the tension or linear density.
The questions from each group are shown below. Teachers are encouraged to view the questions in order to judge which activities is/are most appropriate for their classes.
The Physics Classroom grants teachers and other users the right to print these questions for private use. Users are also granted the right to copy the text and modify it for their own use. However, this document should not be uploaded to other servers for distribution to and/or display by others. The Physics Classroom website should remain the only website or server from which the document is distributed or displayed. We also provide a PDF that teachers can use under the same conditions. We have included a link to the PDF near the bottom of this page.
Case Studies: Waves
Activity 1: Wavelength and Amplitude
Question Group 1
Question 1
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having twice the wavelength and one-half the amplitude?
Question 2
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having twice the wavelength and one-half the amplitude?
Question 3
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having twice the wavelength and one-half the amplitude?
Question Group 2
Question 4
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having twice the wavelength and twice the amplitude?
Question 5
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having twice the wavelength and twice the amplitude?
Question 6
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having twice the wavelength and twice the amplitude?
Question Group 3
Question 7
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having one-half the wavelength and one-half the amplitude?
Question 8
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having one-half the wavelength and one-half the amplitude?
Question 9
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having one-half the wavelength and one-half the amplitude?
Question Group 4
Question 10
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having one-half the wavelength and twice the amplitude?
Question 11
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having one-half the wavelength and twice the amplitude?
Question 12
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave moving through the same rope but having one-half the wavelength and twice the amplitude?
Activity 2: Frequency, Speed, and Wavelength
Question Group 5
Question 13
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the two times the frequency and moving through the same rope (and thus having the same speed?
Question 14
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the two times the frequency and moving through the same rope (and thus having the same speed?
Question 15
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the two times the frequency and moving through the same rope (and thus having the same speed?
Question Group 6
Question 16
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the one-half the frequency and moving through the same rope (and thus having the same speed?
Question 17
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the one-half the frequency and moving through the same rope (and thus having the same speed?
Question 18
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the one-half the frequency and moving through the same rope (and thus having the same speed?
Question Group 7
Question 19
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the same frequency and moving through a different rope with two times the speed?
Question 20
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the same frequency and moving through a different rope with two times the speed?
Question 21
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the same frequency and moving through a different rope with two times the speed?
Question Group 8
Question 22
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the same frequency and moving through a different rope with one-half the speed?
Question 23

The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the same frequency and moving through a different rope with one-half the speed?
Question 24
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave vibrating with the same frequency and moving through a different rope with one-half the speed?
Activity 3: Speed, Tension, and Density
Question Group 9
Question 25
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency and moving through the same rope that is pulled to four times the tension?
Question 26
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency and moving through the same rope that is pulled to four times the tension?
Question 27
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency and moving through the same rope that is pulled to four times the tension?
Question Group 10
Question 28
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency and moving through the same rope that is pulled to one-fourth the tension?
Question 29
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency and moving through the same rope that is pulled to one-fourth the tension?
Question 30
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency and moving through the same rope that is pulled to one-fourth the tension?
Question Group 11
Question 31
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency but moving through a different rope having four times the linear density and pulled to the same tension?
Question 32
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency but moving through a different rope having four times the linear density and pulled to the same tension?
Question 33
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency but moving through a different rope having four times the linear density and pulled to the same tension?
Question Group 12

Question 34
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency but moving through a different rope having one-fourth the linear density and pulled to the same tension?
Question 35
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency but moving through a different rope having one-fourth the linear density and pulled to the same tension?
Question 36
The diagram at the right is a snapshot in time of a wave moving along a rope. Which diagram below represents a wave with the same frequency but moving through a different rope having one-fourth the linear density and pulled to the same tension?