2018, Question 4 · Short free-response · 7 points · about 13 minutes
Dots on a transverse wave
Show the velocity and acceleration of two points on a traveling wave, draw the string a quarter period later, and find how far one point travels in a full period.
This exam had five free-response questions in 90 minutes: Questions 1, 4 and 5 were short questions worth 7 points each with about 13 minutes suggested, and Questions 2 and 3 were long questions worth 12 points each with about 25 minutes suggested. The current exam has 4 free-response questions in 95 minutes. The skills these questions practice still count.
Not in the current course. Every part asks about a transverse wave on a string, which the current course no longer includes mechanical waves and sound.
1 Read the question
The question is College Board's, from the 2018 exam. It starts on page 10 of the PDF. College Board no longer posts this exam, so it opens from the copy of College Board's PDF that the Internet Archive saved on April 14, 2026.
Open Question 4 (PDF, page 10)
2 Write your answer
Answer each part the way you would on the exam, in full sentences, with your work shown. Your writing saves as you type.
3 Score it
Score your answer against College Board's scoring guidelines, one point at a time. Give yourself a point only when your answer says what the guideline asks for.
Scoring guidelines (PDF, page 16) What the exam readers saw (Chief Reader report)
Question, scoring guidelines and Chief Reader report: College Board, from the Internet Archive. The title and summary are ours.