Investigating Wave Behaviour

Question 1

What equipment do you need for experimenting with water waves with a ripple tank?

Answer 1

•Ripple tank
•Water
•Lamp
•White paper
•Vibrating bar
•Power pack

Question 2

Explain the procedure of the ripple tank experiment.

Answer 2

•To measure the wavelength, we place a ruler on the paper.
•We then freeze the image of the waves by using a camera.
•Measure the distance between one wave and ten waves further.
•To find one wavelength, divide the distance by ten.
•To find the frequency, we need to place a timer next to the paper and count the number of waves passing a point in one second.
•We then use the formula wave speed = frequency x wavelength, to determine the wave speed of the water waves.