Required Practical 8:Ripple Tank

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

  A ripple tank is used to observe the features of water waves.
• What are the main components of a ripple tank setup?

  • Shallow tray of water
  • Vibrating bar connected to a power pack
  • Sheet of white paper below the tank
  • Light source to illuminate the water
• How do you visualize the waves in a ripple tank?

  By shining light through the water, creating an image of the waves on paper.
• How can you measure the wavelength of water waves in a ripple tank?

  Process to measure wavelength:

  1. Freeze the image of the waves.
  2. Measure the distance of 10 wavelengths using a ruler.
  3. Divide the total distance by 10 to find one wavelength.
• What is the formula to calculate the wavelength from the measurement of 10 wavelengths?

  Wavelength = Total distance of 10 wavelengths / 10
• What is the definition of frequency in the context of water waves?

  Frequency is the number of waves passing a point each second.
• How can you accurately measure the frequency of water waves in a ripple tank?

  Process to measure frequency:

  1. Use a timer next to the paper.
  2. Count the number of waves passing a point in 10 seconds.
  3. Divide the count by 10 to find the frequency in waves per second (Hertz).
• How do you calculate the speed of water waves using wavelength and frequency?

  Wave speed calculation:

  • Wave speed = Frequency (in Hertz) × Wavelength (in meters)
• What is the wave speed calculated using the given frequency and wavelength?

  0.0624 meters per second
• What are the two methods to determine the speed of water waves in a ripple tank?

  Methods to determine wave speed:

  1. Using the wave equation: Speed = Frequency × Wavelength
  2. Measuring the time taken for a wave to travel the length of the tank and dividing distance by time.
• Why might there be different results when measuring wave speed using two methods?

  Due to measurement errors, especially in timing.