Lesson 4.6.1.5

4.6.1.5 Waves for detection and exploration (physics only) (HT only) Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.6.1.5, Waves for detection and exploration (physics only) (HT only): 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Physics (8463), Unit 6: Waves, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Why is ultrasound used for medical imaging inside the body?

    • Passes straight through bone
    • It has a low frequency
    • Reflects at tissue boundaries
    • It is a transverse wave

  2. What can be determined using the return time of an ultrasound reflection?

    • Source temperature
    • Wave frequency shift
    • Medium density directly
    • Distance to boundary

  3. An echo sounder's pulse returns after 0.4 s in water where sound travels at 1500 m/s. What is the water depth?

    • 300 m
    • 600 m
    • 150 m
    • 3750 m

  4. Which type of seismic wave cannot travel through a liquid?

    • S-waves
    • Longitudinal waves
    • Surface waves
    • P-waves

  5. Through which materials can P-waves travel?

    • Liquids only
    • Solids only
    • Solids and liquids
    • A vacuum only

  6. What do seismic P-wave and S-wave data provide evidence about?

    • Earth's core structure
    • Continental drift rates
    • Atmospheric pressure zones
    • Ocean current speeds

  7. What is echo sounding used to detect and measure in water?

    • Wave speed and pressure
    • Salinity and currents
    • Water temperature only
    • Objects and water depth

  8. What do seismic S-wave shadows indicate about the Earth's interior?

    • A gaseous mantle
    • A solid core
    • A liquid layer
    • A vacuum layer

  9. Why do seismic waves provide evidence about unseen parts of the Earth?

    • Surface temperature drops
    • Magnetic field shifts
    • Hidden layer properties
    • Atmospheric pressure changes

  10. What can wave velocity and absorption differences in solids and liquids be used for?

    • Calculating light speed
    • Generating electricity
    • Measuring air pressure
    • Hidden structure exploration

  11. What is industrial ultrasound imaging primarily used for?

    • Testing magnetic charge
    • Heating raw metals
    • Inspect hidden flaws
    • Measuring surface colour

  12. An ultrasound pulse in tissue returns after 0.02 s, and the wave speed is 1500 m/s. How far away is the boundary?

    • 15 m
    • 7.5 m
    • 30 m
    • 0.015 m

  13. Which seismic wave travels faster through the Earth's crust?

    • Surface waves
    • Transverse waves
    • P-waves
    • S-waves

  14. Why is an ultrasound wave only partially reflected at a boundary?

    • Total internal reflection
    • Wave diffraction occurs
    • Frequency increases
    • Energy is transmitted

  15. Water is 150 m deep and sound travels at 1500 m/s in the water. How long is the echo's round trip?

    • 0.2 s
    • 2 s
    • 0.4 s
    • 0.1 s

  16. Which seismic wave property proves the outer core is liquid?

    • Frequency doubles
    • Surface waves stop
    • S-waves stopped
    • P-waves speed up

  17. A sonar pulse takes 2 s to make a round trip in water at 1500 m/s. How far away is the reflector?

    • 3000 m
    • 375 m
    • 750 m
    • 1500 m

  18. What property differs between solids and liquids to aid wave detection?

    • Photon energy
    • Wave amplitude
    • Wave speed
    • Source frequency

  19. To convert an ultrasound echo time into distance, what else is needed?

    • Wave frequency
    • Wave speed
    • Total mass
    • Source amplitude

  20. An ultrasound pulse travels 2000 m in 2 s in a material. What is its speed?

    • 2002 m/s
    • 1000 m/s
    • 4000 m/s
    • 0.001 m/s

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