Name: _______________________________________ Date____________
Waves on a String: Speed of a Wave Lab
Part A: Method for determining the speed of a wave
Learning Objective: Develop an experimental method to determine the speed of a wave on a string.
I. Initial Ideas: Answer the following questions
1. What is a wave?
2. What types of waves exist?
3. What is speed?
II. Explore the PhET Sim: Waves on a String
Open the sim: http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/wave-on-a-string/wave-on-a-string_en.html
1. Set up the sim:
a. Select “no end”
b. Adjust “Dampening” to zero
2. You will have 10 minutes to explore the sim. You have two challenges for your exploration:
a. Explore the controls and determine what types of variables you can modify.
b. Develop a basic method for determining the speed of a wave on a string. Write/sketch a brief
description of your method in your notebook.
Part B: Variables Affecting the Speed of a Wave
Learning Objective:
1. Write a hypothesis about the relationship between a wave variable and its affect on wave speed.
2. Design an experiment to test wave speed hypothesis, and the relationships between the wave
variables.
3. Make claims about the relationships (direct, inverse, none) between wave variables, using evidence
to support claims, and explaining the relationship between the claim and evidence.
I. Anatomy of a Wave & Key Vocabulary
1. In your notebook, sketch a wave and label amplitude and wavelength.
2. Define and describe the following terms: amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, tension.
II. Investigation 1: How can you increase the speed of a wave?
1. Brainstorm a list of variables that you think might change the speed of a wave.
2. Select one variable that you believe affects the speed of a wave. Write a hypothesis that makes a claim
about how your variable affects speed, and explains your reasoning for this relationship using the format
of “If…then…because…”.
3. Test your hypothesis and record your observations using the following table or a table that you create:
Action What changed? How did it change? Type of Relationship
Speed Direct
What did you do? Frequency What did you observe? Inverse
“Increased Wavelength None
frequency” Tension
4. Make a claim about whether or not your hypothesis was correct, using evidence from your lab to support
your answer and explaining your reasoning. Be prepared to share your results with the class.
III. Investigation 2: How are other wave variables related?
5. Investigate other relationships between variables and record your observations in the table from step
6. Make claims about the relationship between two of the variables, providing evidence from your
investigations to support your claim, and reasoning to connect your claim and evidence.
Part C: New Equation for the Speed of a Wave
Learning Objective: Develop an equation that demonstrates the relationships between wavelength,
frequency and speed of a wave
Directions: Answer the following questions in your notebook.
1. Identify the wave variables that we measured to indicate length and time during the lab, then substitute these
values into the speed equation to develop an equation for the speed of a wave. Compare your equation with
your neighbor.
Speed Quantity Length Quantity Time Quantity Speed Equation
d
Speed of a Moving Object distance (d) time (t) s=
t
Speed of a Wave s=
Speed of a Wave s=
2. Frequency and wavelength are both in your equation for speed. Why is it that, when you changed the
frequency, you did not change the speed of the wave?
3. The only variable we found that affects the speed of a wave on a string was the tension of the string. How
does this relate to how a musician tunes a stringed instrument?
