Ripple Tank

• What is the purpose of a ripple tank in experiments?


  To observe the features of water waves
• What components are included in a ripple tank setup?

  A shallow tray of water, a vibrating bar, and a power pack
• How does the ripple tank produce an image of the waves?


  Light shines through the water and projects the image onto a sheet of white paper
• What is the procedure to measure the wavelength of water waves in a ripple tank?


  1. Place a ruler on the paper.
  2. Freeze the image of the waves.
  3. Measure the distance of 10 wavelengths.
  4. Divide by 10 to find one wavelength.
• What is the total distance measured for 10 wavelengths in the example?


  26 centimeters
• How do you convert the total distance of 10 wavelengths from centimeters to meters?


  By dividing by 100
• What is the wavelength of the waves if 10 wavelengths equal 0.26 meters?


  $0.026 \text{ meters}$
• How is frequency defined in the context of water waves?


  • Frequency is the number of waves passing a point each second.
  • Measured in Hertz (Hz).
• What is the method to find the frequency of water waves in a ripple tank?


  Count the number of waves in 10 seconds and divide by 10
• How many waves were counted in the example over 10 seconds?


  24 waves
• What is the frequency in Hertz if 24 waves pass in 10 seconds?


  $2.4 \text{ Hz}$
• What is the wave speed equation?


  • Wave speed = frequency × wavelength
  • Units: speed in meters per second (m/s), frequency in Hertz (Hz), wavelength in meters (m)
• How do you calculate the wave speed if the frequency is 2.4 Hz and the wavelength is $0.026 \text{ meters}$?


  $0.0624 \text{ m/s}$
• What is another method to determine wave speed in a ripple tank?


  Measure the time it takes for a wave to travel the length of the tank
• Why might different methods yield slightly different results for wave speed?


  Due to measurement errors, especially in timing
• Where can students find more questions on the required practical?


  • In the vision workbook
  • Available via a link provided in the video