Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.  

Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.

Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.

According to the data in Study 1, as density increases, what happens to the velocity of sound?

Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.  

Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.

Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.

In Study 1, which medium tested had the greatest density?

Sound waves travel through a medium by mechanically disturbing the particles of that medium. As particles in the medium are displaced by the sound wave, they in turn act upon neighboring particles. In this fashion, the wave travels through the medium through a parallel series of disturbed particles. Like in other forms of motion, the rate at which the sound wave travels can be measured by dividing the distance over which the wave travels by the time required for it to do so.  

Study 1
A group of students hypothesizes that the velocity of sound is dependent upon the density of the medium through which it passes. They propose that with more matter in a given space, each particle needs to travel a shorter distance to disturb the adjacent particles. Using two microphones and a high speed recording device, the students measured the delay from the first microphone to the second. They chose a variety of media, shown in Table 1, and measured the velocity of sound through each using their two-microphone setup. The results are found in Table 1.

Study 2
The students wanted to test their hypothesis by using the same medium at different densities. To do this, they heated pure water to various temperatures and repeated the procedure described in Study 1. Their results can be found in Table 2.

According to Study 2, water at which of the following temperatures yields the greatest velocity of sound?

The graph below depicts the position of three different cars over a 15-second time interval.

At the point where all three cars meet, which car is traveling the fastest?

The graph below depicts the position of three different cars over a 15-second time interval.

What is the speed of Car 1 at time = 7s?

The graph below depicts the position of three different cars over a 15-second time interval.

If Car 3 continues to travel at it's current speed at t = 15 seconds, what will it's position be at time = 20s?

A physicist wishes to study the trajectory of a ball launched horizontally. She varies parameters such as the launching velocity, starting height, and mass of the ball. For each trajectory, she records the time of flight (in seconds) and horizontal displacement (in meters). She assumes air resistance is negligible.

Figure 1

Using all of the data she collects, she constructs the following table:

Table 1

In Trial 1, if a fourth data point were collected in which the ball was thrown with a launching velocity of 40 m/s, what would be the approximate horizontal displacement in meters?

A physicist wishes to study the trajectory of a ball launched horizontally. She varies parameters such as the launching velocity, starting height, and mass of the ball. For each trajectory, she records the time of flight (in seconds) and horizontal displacement (in meters). She assumes air resistance is negligible.

Figure 1

Using all of the data she collects, she constructs the following table:

Table 1

If all of trial 3 were redone with a launching velocity of 20 m/s instead of 10 m/s, then compared to the data for trial 3 presented in the table, the horizontal displacement for all data points would be which of the following?

Experiment 1

A scientist develops the following setup, shown in Figure 1 below, to study the charges of radioactive particles. A radioactive sample is placed into a lead box that has an open column such that the particles can only exit from one direction. A detector is placed in front of the opening. A metric ruler (centimeters (cm)), is aligned on the detector such that zero is directly in front of the opening of the column, with the positive values extending to the left and the negative values to the right. On the left side of the experimental setup, there is a device that generates a magnetic field that attracts positively charged particles and repels negatively charged particles.

                                                    Figure 1.

The device detects particles in three different places: alpha, α; beta, β; and gamma, γ; as labeled in Figure 1. The paths these particles take from the source of radioactivity are shown.

Experiment 2

A different scientist finds the following data, shown in Table 1, about the energies of the α, β, and γ particles by observing what kinds of materials through which the particles can pass. This scientist assumes that the ability of particles to pass through thicker and denser barriers is indicative of higher energy. Table 1 summarizes whether or not each type of particle was detected when each of the following barriers is placed between the radioactivity source and the detector. The paper and aluminum foil are both 1 millimeters thick, and the concrete wall is 1 meter thick.

Based on Experiment 1, which of the following particles must be positively charged?

The period of a simple pendulum  is defined as the amount of time that it takes for a pendulum to swing from one end to the other and back. In studying the period of a simple pendulum, two students express their opinions.

Student 1: The period of a pendulum depends on two factors: the mass of the pendulum's bob (the object swinging at the end of the pendulum) and the length of the pendulum. The height at which the pendulum is originally dropped does not affect the period .

Student 2: The period of a pendulum  only depends on the length of the pendulum. Varying the mass and the height at which the pendulum is originally dropped does not affect how long the pendulum takes to swing across.

The two students ran a series of trials to measure the period of a simple pendulum using varying weights and lengths. The students did not measure height as a factor. The results of the trials can be seen in the table below: 

According to the data provided, what would we predict would happen if an experiment compared the periods of a pendulum made of a lead weight on a meter-long cord and a pendulum made of a tennis ball on a three-meter-long cord?