6.1.10

Required Practical - Ripple Tank

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Ripple Tank

A ripple tank can be used to observe waves and calculate wave speed.

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Ripple tank

  • Water waves can be set up in a ripple tank, where a rod at one end of a tank of water creates a series of ripples.
  • A bright light shone through the water onto a sheet of paper shows the ripples on the water very clearly as a series of parallel lines travelling along with constant speed.
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Wavefronts

  • These parallel lines are the peaks of the ripples on the water. We call them wavefronts.
  • The distance between two wavefronts is the wavelength.
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Wave speed

  • Ripple tanks allow us to calculate the wave speed.
  • The equation for wave speed is:
    • v=fλv = f\lambda
    • Wave speed = frequency × wavelength
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Units

  • Wave speed is measured in m/s.
  • Wave frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz).
  • Wavelength is measured in meters (m).

Jump to other topics

1Energy

2Electricity

3Particle Model of Matter

4Atoms & Radiation

5Forces

5.1Basics of Motion

5.2Forces

5.3Effects of Forces

5.4Pressure

6Waves

7Magnetism

8Astrophysics

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