AP Physics B Practice Exam

Category - Introductory Physics

The distance between Earth and the Moon was determined by measuring the time it took for light waves from Earth to travel to the Moon and back. Why was it not possible to use sound waves for this experiment?
  1. Sound waves must move through a substance.
  2. Sound waves would change frequency on the return to Earth.
  3. Sound waves move too slowly for the technique to be accurate.
  4. Sound waves move more slowly in Earth’s atmosphere than in space.
Explanation

Answer: A - Sound waves must move through a substance.

Sound waves require a medium to travel through, such as air, water, or solids, and cannot travel through a vacuum, such as the empty space of outer space. This is because sound waves are mechanical waves, which means they require particles to vibrate and transfer energy from one point to another.

When a sound is produced, such as by a vibrating object, it causes the particles in the surrounding medium to vibrate, creating a series of compressions and rarefactions in the medium. These compressions and rarefactions then propagate through the medium as a sound wave, transferring energy from the source of the sound to our ears.

In the vacuum of space, there are no particles to vibrate, and so there is no medium for sound waves to travel through. Therefore, sound waves cannot travel through space. However, electromagnetic waves, such as light and radio waves, can travel through a vacuum because they do not require a medium to propagate.

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