Online Waves Simulation
Follow the directions on this piece of paper, answer the questions, and fill in the blanks.
Water
1. Click on the water simulation.
2. Click side view below the animation screen, and then click the green start button on the faucet.
After a couple of seconds, pause the animation. Then, drag the measuring tape to the water
and measure the wavelength by dragging the red t on the measuring tape.
Wavelength ____________________
Drag the stopwatch onto the animation. Click the play button below the water. Start the
stopwatch and for 30 seconds count the number of waves that pass the right edge of the
animation screen. Click the pause button under the water.
Number of waves/frequency ________________
3. Increase the frequency, and click the play button below the water. After a couple of seconds,
click the pause button. Then, drag the measuring tape to the water and measure the
wavelength by dragging the red t on the measuring tape.
Wavelength ___________________
Reset the time on the stopwatch. Click the play button below the water. Start the stopwatch
and for 30 seconds count the number of waves that pass the right edge of the animation
screen. Click the pause button under the water.
Number of waves/frequency ________________
4. Look at the numbers you wrote in all the blanks above. Write a conclusion about the
relationship between wavelength and frequency.
5. Press the play button under the water. Drag the graph to the animation. Place the light gray
wire under the faucet, and the dark gray wire in the middle of the screen. Click the graph box
under the frequency and amplitude bars. What do you notice about the difference in amplitude
on the graph between the light gray and dark gray wires?
Sound
6. Click on sound.
7. Click on particles. Click the green play button on the speaker. Fill in the blanks.
Sound waves are made when the particles ______________________________________. A
sound wave can only exist when there is a ____________________ (vocabulary term) that
vibrates. Light waves do not need a medium. Light waves are made of photons, particles of
light.
8. Click play tone. Move the frequency bar to max. Let the sound play for a few seconds. What
do you hear?
9. Click the play button and move the frequency bar to min. Let the sound play for a few
seconds. What do you hear?
10. Click the play button and move the amplitude bar to max. Let the sound play for a few
seconds. What do you hear?
11. Click the play button and move the amplitude bar to min. Let the sound play for a few
seconds. What do you hear?
12. Move the amplitude bar back to the middle. Move the frequency bar to the middle and press
play. Let the sound play for a few seconds and then pause it. Drag the measuring tape to one
red dot and measure the wavelength by dragging the red t to another red dot.
Wavelength _____________________
Drag the stopwatch onto the animation. Click the play button below the screen. Start the
stopwatch and for 30 s count the number of times that a red dot moves back and forth. Then,
click the pause button below the screen.
Number of vibrations/frequency __________________
13. Move the frequency bar to max and press play. Let the sound play for a few seconds and
then pause it. Drag the measuring tape to the same red dot from number 12 and measure the
wavelength by dragging the red t to the other red dot you used in number 12.
Wavelength _____________________
Reset the stopwatch. Click the play button. Start the stopwatch and for 30 s count the number
of times that the same red dot from number 12 moves back and forth.
Then, pause the sound.
Number of vibrations/frequency __________________
14. Look at the numbers you wrote in the blanks for 12 and 13. Write a conclusion about the
relationship between wavelength and frequency.
15. If you are standing at the end of a football field, do you think you could hear two people talking
to each other at a normal volume who are standing at the opposite end of of the football field?
16. Press the play button. Drag the graph to the animation. Place the light gray wire close to the
speaker, and the dark gray wire in the middle of the screen. Click the graph box below the
frequency and amplitude bars. How does the amplitude you observe on the graph explain
your answer to number 15?
Light
17. Click on light.
18. Press the play button and drag the frequency to violet. Drag the graph onto the screen. Make
sure that the two wires are centered over each other. Observe the waves on the graph. Then,
drag the frequency to red, and observe the waves on the graph. What difference do you notice
between the wave on the violet graph and the wave on the red graph?
19. Drag the amplitude to low, but not 0. What do you observe?
