Comparison of Wave Properties

The three most common types of waves that we encounter in our daily life are water, sound, and light waves. While water and sound waves can only travel through a medium, light waves don’t need one. In this activity, you’ll study the similarities and differences among water, sound, and light waves. To begin your activity, open this simulation: Wave Interference. There are three tabs, Water, Sound, and Light. Observe these waves and then draw conclusions from your observations. Question 1 Water: Start with the Water tab. Note that light areas represent places where the water is high (crests). Dark areas represent low points (troughs). The water drops should already be dripping from the faucet. You can increase their frequency by using the Frequency slider. You can expand or decrease the size of your “sink space” by clicking the green +/- sign in the upper right corner of the sink. Using the controls on the far right, you can add measuring tools, add a wall, add another faucet, or insert a single-slit or two-slit barrier. Part A What kind of wave patterns do you observe in the sink in the top view? 15pxSpace used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000 Part B Click on the Show Graph button at the bottom of the window. (If you have expanded your sink, you’ll probably need to decrease its size again to see this graph.) The graph shows the moving water level, which is the actual amplitude of the waves. What general mathematical graph function does this look like? What pattern do you observe in the amplitude of these waves? Provide a hypothesis to explain this pattern in the amplitude. 15pxSpace used(includes formatting): 0 / 30000 Part C What happens when you increase the frequency of the water drops? What happens to the wavelength of the waves on the surface of water?

Okay, let's analyze the wave patterns in the simulation.

Question 1

Part A

When the water drops drip from the faucet, I observe circular wave patterns radiating outwards from each point where a drop hits the surface of the water. These circular waves consist of alternating light (crests) and dark (troughs) rings expanding across the sink.

Part B

The graph showing the moving water level looks like a sinusoidal function or a sine wave.

The pattern I observe in the amplitude of these waves, as depicted by the graph, is that the amplitude appears to be relatively consistent as the wave propagates outwards from the source. While there might be some minor visual dampening over a significant distance, the primary characteristic shown in this simplified simulation is a wave with a repeating, consistent height (above and below the equilibrium).

Hypothesis to explain this pattern in the amplitude: In this idealized simulation, there are likely no significant energy losses due to factors like viscosity or spreading of the wave energy over a larger area as it travels. Therefore, the energy imparted by each water drop is concentrated in the expanding circular wave, maintaining a relatively constant amplitude. In a real-world scenario, we would expect the amplitude to decrease with distance due to these energy losses.

Part C

When you increase the frequency of the water drops:

The number of circular wave patterns generated per unit of time increases. You see more and more circles emanating from the faucet point in a given period.
The wavelength of the waves on the surface of the water decreases. This is because the speed of the waves on the water surface is relatively constant. Since wave speed (v) is equal to frequency (f) times wavelength (λ) (v = fλ), if the frequency increases and the speed remains approximately the same, the wavelength must decrease. You can visually observe the crests (light rings) becoming closer together when the frequency is higher.

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Comparison of Wave Properties

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