What is a ripple tank?
A ripple tank is a device used to study water waves. The device consists of a clear holding tank for water, a light source above the tank, and an object used to create a disturbance in the water. The waves created by the disturbance can be seen using the light source.
What is a disturbance?
A disturbance is caused by an object that creates a variation in a medium that travels through the medium.
What is a wave?
A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy from one point to another point in a medium but does not transfer the matter making up the medium.
What is a crest?
The highest point on a wave is called the crest of the wave.
What is a trough?
The lowest point on a wave is called the trough of the wave.
What is a peak?
The peak of a wave is either the crest or trough of a wave.
What is a medium?
A medium is a substance or material that carries a wave. The medium is not the wave but transfers the wave from one point to another point.
What is the resting position of a medium?
The resting position, also called the equilibrium position, of a medium is the normal location of the medium when no wave is passing through the medium.
What is displacement?
Displacement is the change in position of the matter of a medium from its resting position to some other position due to the passage of a wave.
What is frequency?
The frequency of a wave is the number of cycles of a wave per unit time.
What is wavelength?
The wavelength of a wave is the distance between the two closest in-phase sections of the wave.
What is amplitude?
The amplitude of a wave is the distance from the resting position of the wave to the crest or the trough of the wave.
What is interference?
Interference is a phenomenon in which two waves combine in space and time.
What is constructive interference?
Constructive interference occurs when two or more in-phase waves interact and the resultant wave is larger than either of the original waves.
What is destructive interference?
Destructive interference occurs when two or more opposite phase waves interact and the resultant wave is smaller than either of the original waves.
What is “in-phase”?
In-phase waves are two or more waves that have the same frequency and are perfectly aligned so the peak of one wave occurs at the same time as the peak of the other waves.
What is “out-of-phase”?
Out-of-phase waves are two or more waves that have the same frequency and are aligned so the peak of one wave occurs at the same time as the trough of the other waves.
Here are some definitions to help you with your Grades 3 – 5 Lesson 1 investigation.
Ripple Tank – a device used to study water waves
Wave – a disturbance in water that moves energy but not matter
Crest – the tallest part of a wave
Trough – the lowest part of wave
Peak – the crest or trough of a wave
Medium – the substance the allows a wave to pass through
Resting Position – the normal level of water
Displacement – the movement of water from its resting position
Frequency – the number of waves that pass each second
Wavelength – the distance from one crest to the nearest crest
Amplitude – the distance from the wave peak to the resting position of the water
Interference – when one wave interacts with another wave
Constructive Interference – when two waves join to make one bigger wave
Destructive Interference – when two waves join to make one smaller wave
Water waves can interact with each other and provide some interesting effects. In this investigation, you’ll study the various patterns and results made by interacting waves in a ripple tank. Get started now investigating interference between water waves.
