Lesson T4.1.4

T4.1.4 Waves transferring energy and information Quiz: KS3 Physics, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T4.1.4, Waves transferring energy and information: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Physics (National Curriculum), Unit 4: Waves, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does a wave transfer when it moves through a medium?

    • Matter from one place to another, which the wave carries along the medium as it moves
    • Only electric charge along a wire, which is the only thing a moving wave can ever carry
    • Only heat from the source, which spreads through the medium as the wave passes through it
    • Energy and, in the case of sound and signals, information

  2. Which of these is a use of waves that transfer information?

    • Moving a boat across a still pond by pushing it, which uses a force from the hand of a person
    • Pushing a trolley along a flat track, which uses a force to move the trolley along the track
    • Heating food in an oven without any signal, which only uses the energy of the waves
    • Sending a signal from a microphone to a loudspeaker

  3. What does a microphone do with a sound wave?

    • It slows the sound wave down to a stop, which keeps the sound in the microphone for recording.
    • It changes the sound wave into a light wave, which is then sent along the cable to the recorder.
    • It converts the vibrations of the sound into an electrical signal.
    • It stores the sound wave as a permanent record, which can be played back many years later.

  4. Which wave energy is used to clean jewellery?

    • Infrared, which is a type of heat radiation that warms the surface of the jewellery as it passes
    • Radio waves, which carry electric signals that loosen the dirt on the jewellery when used
    • Ultrasound
    • Gamma rays, which are very high energy waves that destroy the dirt on the surface completely

  5. Why does ultrasound from a machine travel into the body?

    • It removes all the water from the tissues, which makes the internal parts easier to see on the screen.
    • It turns the body into a light source, which then glows so that the inside can be seen clearly.
    • It transfers energy and information to produce images from reflected waves.
    • It heats the body from the inside to a high temperature, which is needed to destroy the damaged tissue.

  6. Which device changes an electrical signal back into sound?

    • A loudspeaker
    • A thermometer, which measures temperature and does not change electrical signals into sound
    • A mirror, which reflects light and has no role in making any sound from an electrical signal
    • A microphone, which changes sound into an electrical signal and does not work in reverse

  7. Which property of a wave is used when it carries information in a digital signal?

    • The temperature of the wave's medium, which is raised to encode each signal sent along it
    • The pattern of its changes over time, which is encoded
    • The colour of the wave as it passes, which changes with each signal sent by the transmitter
    • The mass of the wave as it moves, which increases slightly for each piece of information

  8. What do pressure waves in a medium transfer?

    • Energy, which can be used for cleaning or physiotherapy
    • Electric charge from one object to another, which is what makes the medium conduct electricity
    • Pure heat that does not carry energy, which only warms the medium as it passes through
    • Magnetic poles from one region to another, which is what makes the medium act as a magnet

  9. Why is a microphone described as converting a sound wave into an electrical signal?

    • The wave turns into a magnet that produces electricity as it moves past the coils in the microphone.
    • The wave adds electric charge to the air around the microphone, which then flows into the wire.
    • The wave moves a diaphragm, and the movement is changed into a varying electric current or voltage.
    • The wave heats a wire until it glows and produces electricity from the light it gives off.

  10. Which of these shows waves transferring energy?

    • A fixed flag hanging straight in still air, which shows that there is no energy in the air
    • A wave on a rope lifting a floating cork as it passes
    • A stationary rope with no movement at all, which shows that waves are not present
    • A ball rolling across a flat floor with no waves, which shows that energy comes only from the ball

  11. Why can a sound wave be used to carry information through a telephone?

    • The sound wave is stored as a chemical in the telephone, which is then sent along the line.
    • The sound wave is converted into an electrical signal that carries the pattern of the sound.
    • The sound wave has its energy removed completely, which leaves only the information to be sent.
    • The sound wave is turned into a solid object that is sent along the line to the other phone.

  12. Which type of wave can cause physical damage when used to clean objects?

    • Radio waves, because they carry heat to the object and warm the surface until it cracks
    • Ultrasound, because it transfers energy into the surface
    • Sound at low frequency, because it is quiet and can therefore wear away the surface gently
    • Light, because it is always brighter than the object and so burns the surface as it passes

  13. Which of these is a wave that transfers energy but not matter?

    • A stream of falling snow, which moves matter from the sky down onto the ground below
    • A water wave, where the water particles move up and down and stay near the same place
    • A moving car carrying passengers along a road, which moves matter from one place to another
    • A river carrying water and rocks downstream, which moves matter along the riverbed as it flows

  14. What happens to the energy of a sound wave when it is absorbed by a soft material?

    • It is destroyed and no longer exists, because absorbing sound removes energy completely from the world.
    • It is converted into a magnetic field around the material, which holds the material in place.
    • It is transferred into thermal energy in the material.
    • It is transferred into the material as electric charge, which then flows through the material slowly.

  15. Which of these sends information using waves?

    • A bucket of water carried by hand from a tap to a sink in the kitchen of a house
    • A rock rolling down a hill with no signal attached to it as it moves over the ground
    • A mobile phone call, which sends encoded signals as waves through the air
    • A spring stretched by a weight, with no signal attached to the stretching of the spring

  16. Which wave is used to carry information between a television remote control and the television?

    • Deep water waves, which travel across the floor of the room and along the carpet
    • Ultrasound, which is a sound wave above human hearing that cannot pass through walls
    • Gamma rays, which are very high energy waves that are hazardous to people in the room
    • Infrared

  17. How does an ultrasonic bath clean a jewellery item?

    • The ultrasound melts the metal so that the dirt slides off into the liquid in the bath
    • Vibrations from the ultrasound knock dirt off the surface through the liquid.
    • The ultrasound pulls the dirt towards a magnet placed inside the bath beside the item
    • The ultrasound heats the liquid until the dirt boils away completely from the surface

  18. Which statement about energy transfer by waves is correct?

    • Waves transfer energy only if they travel through a vacuum, where they face no resistance
    • Waves transfer matter from the source to the absorber along with the energy they carry
    • Waves transfer energy from a source to an absorber without transferring matter.
    • Waves carry no energy at all, and only give information about the source that made them

  19. Why are radio waves useful for carrying information over long distances?

    • They travel slower than sound, which lets the receiver decode the information more easily
    • They travel only along wires, which limits how far they can carry information across the land
    • They travel through air and space at the speed of light and can carry patterns of changes.
    • They travel only through solids, which is why they are blocked by air over long distances

  20. Which of these is an example of a wave transferring energy to warm an object?

    • A stationary rope with no waves running along it, which holds the same temperature as before
    • A ball bouncing on the floor without any sound being produced as it hits the surface
    • A cold draught of air moving across a table, which has no effect on the warmth of the table
    • Sunlight warming a dark stone placed in it

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