8 Part 1 - Ripple Tank

• Using a ripple tank to measure the wavelength, frequency and speed of water waves:

  1. To measure the wavelength, we place a ruler on the paper
  2. Freeze the image of the waves
  3. Measure the distance between one wave and ten waves further
  4. Divide the total wavelength by 10
  5. To find the frequency, place a timer next to the paper
  6. Count the number of waves passing a point in one second
  7. Use the wave equation to determine the speed of the waves or select a wave and measure the time it takes to move the length of the tank
  8. Then calculate the speed by dividing the distance travelled by the time taken
• Using a ripple tank to measure the wavelength, frequency and speed of water waves - Explanation + Apparatus:

  • A ripple tank is used to observe the features of water waves. It is a shallow tray of water and in the water is a vibrating bar
  • The bar is connected to a power pack, and when the bar vibrates, it creates waves across the surface of the water
  • Above the ripple tank there is a lamp and below the tank there is a sheet of white paper
  • When light shines through the water, it produces an image of the waves on the paper
• Image of the apparatus:

  A) white paper

  B) ripple tank

  C) water

  D) lamp

  E) vibrating bar

  F) power pack

  
• The easiest way to carry out this practical is to use a device such as a mobile phone or a camera in order to record the waves, and be able to play-back the video in order to get more accurate results