Required practical 8 : waves in a solid/ ripple tank

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Cards (15)

Ripple tank 
A shallow tray of water with a vibrating bar that creates waves across the surface of the water
Ripple tank 
Has a lump below the tank and a sheet of white paper, when light shines through the water it produces an image of the waves on the paper
Measuring wavelength 
Place a ruler on the paper, freeze the image of the waves, measure the distance between one wave and 10 waves, divide by 10 to find one wavelength
Measuring frequency 
Place a timer next to the paper, count the number of waves passing a point in 10 seconds, divide by 10 to find the frequency
Frequency 
The number of waves passing a point each second
Measuring wave speed 
1. Use the wave equation: wave speed = frequency x wavelength
2. Select a wave and measure the time it takes to move the length of the tank, divide distance by time
Slightly different results may be obtained using the two methods for measuring wave speed due to measurement errors
This is a required practical for the GCSE Physics course
Ripple tank 
A shallow tray of water with a vibrating bar that creates waves across the surface of the water
Ripple tank 
Has a lump on below the tank and a sheet of white paper, when light shines through the water it produces an image of the waves on the paper
Measuring wavelength 
Place a ruler on the paper, freeze the image of the waves, measure the distance between one wave and 10 waves, divide by 10 to find one wavelength
Measuring frequency 
Place a timer next to the paper, count the number of waves passing a point in 10 seconds, divide by 10 to find the frequency in Hertz
Measuring wave speed 
1. Use the wave equation: wave speed = frequency in Hertz x wavelength in meters
2. Select a wave and measure the time it takes to move the length of the tank, divide distance by time
Measuring wave speed using the two methods may give slightly different results due to measurement errors
This is a required practical, so the details need to be learned