Practice identifying the properties of light and sound, including how they travel, reflect, absorb, and help us observe the world.
Read each problem carefully. Answer in complete sentences and show your thinking when needed.
Exploring how light and sound travel and behave
Physics - Grade 4-5
- 1
Light travels much faster than sound. During a thunderstorm, you see lightning before you hear thunder. Explain why this happens.
- 2
A flashlight shines on a mirror. What happens to the light when it hits the mirror?
- 3
Name one transparent object, one translucent object, and one opaque object.
- 4
Sound is made by vibrations. Describe what is vibrating when a drum makes a sound.
- 5
A student shouts across a playground. Through what material does the sound travel to reach another student?
- 6
Why can you see objects in a room when the lights are on?
- 7
A dark shirt feels hotter in sunlight than a white shirt. Explain why.
- 8
What is an echo, and how is it made?
- 9
Compare light and sound. Give one way they are alike and one way they are different.
- 10
Why is it easier to see your reflection in a smooth mirror than in a piece of rough metal?
- 11
A ruler is placed halfway off a desk and plucked. It makes a sound. What causes the sound to happen?
- 12
Why can sunlight pass through a clean window but not through a brick wall?
- 13
If you move farther away from a ringing bell, how does the sound usually change?
- 14
A student uses a prism and sees a rainbow of colors. What does this show about white light?
- 15
Explain one way light helps you and one way sound helps you in daily life.