A sound question can concern whether a wave travels, how high its pitch seems, or how intense it is. Those are separate questions about the same phenomenon. Before comparing choices, identify which one the prompt asks. A word such as stronger can be ambiguous unless you connect it to the quantity being discussed.
The examples keep their conditions explicit. One considers a vacuum, one asks about pitch, and one changes amplitude while other conditions remain unchanged. Read each condition as part of the question. You can examine these distinctions on paper without producing sound or carrying out a demonstration.
This opens the setup screen with this subject and topic selected. Check the mode and question count before you start.
Transmission needs something to vibrate
Sound is a mechanical disturbance transmitted through matter, such as air. In a vacuum there is no material medium to transmit that disturbance, so sound does not travel through it. This explanation concerns sound’s mechanism, rather than the brightness or visibility of a source.
To review the choice, name the medium and the disturbance separately. The source can be discussed without establishing a path through which its sound reaches a receiver. Ask which link the vacuum condition removes.
Pitch and intensity ask about different changes
Frequency mainly determines pitch in the example: a higher frequency usually corresponds to a higher pitch. Sound intensity relates to vibration amplitude. With the other conditions held fixed, increasing amplitude increases intensity. Keep the fixed conditions attached to that comparison.
Write a small two-column note headed pitch and intensity, then put the relevant quantity beneath each heading. When a choice names amplitude in a pitch question, or frequency in the intensity example, compare the requested relationship rather than choosing whichever term you remember first. The note is a way to organise the present examples, rather than a complete account of every aspect of hearing.
TRY & READ
Check your understanding with examples
Compare the choices before opening the answer and explanation. Reading an example does not save a test answer or score.
Example 1 · Physics: waves and light
Why does sound not travel through a vacuum?
There is no material to carry the vibration
Sound travels faster than light
A vacuum is always cold
Sound has no weight
Read the answer and explanation
Answer: There is no material to carry the vibration
Sound is a mechanical vibration that needs a medium such as air.
Definitions, laws, and equations in this chapter. The Japanese questions and explanations were newly authored rather than copied from the source or existing exercises.
Source checked: 2026-10-03
Example 2 · Physics: waves and light
Which quantity mainly determines the pitch of a sound?
The sound source's mass
The distance traveled
Frequency
Amplitude
Read the answer and explanation
Answer: Frequency
A higher frequency usually produces a higher pitch.
Definitions, laws, and equations in this chapter. The Japanese questions and explanations were newly authored rather than copied from the source or existing exercises.
Source checked: 2026-10-03
Example 3 · Physics: waves and light
With other conditions unchanged, which change makes a sound more intense?
Increasing amplitude
Only decreasing frequency
Only increasing wavelength
Only increasing period
Read the answer and explanation
Answer: Increasing amplitude
A larger vibration amplitude increases sound intensity under the same conditions.
Definitions, laws, and equations in this chapter. The Japanese questions and explanations were newly authored rather than copied from the source or existing exercises.
Topics: Physics: waves and light. Range: Everyday knowledge. Difficulty: Basic. These are selected initially. You can change these on the setup screen.
A test shows explanations after submission. Continuous challenge explains each answer. Review uses unresolved mistakes recorded on this device. Casual mode does not update learning records.