Travelling Waves

The 'Traveling Waves' program allows you to experiment on waves. It shows a hand holding the first of a row of beads. The hand can send a wave along the row by moving  the first bead up and down. The subsequent beads then follow one by one until the wave is traveling along the string. The animation clearly shows how the phase difference between the motions of the beads results in a wave crest that travels along the string. There are sliders that change the wavelength and amplitude of the motion. There is a ruler and stop clock that can be used to measure the wave speed, period and wavelength and a 'auto' button to take  measurements automatically. The speed measured from period and wavelength is compared with the speed measured from distance traveled and time. Longitudinal waves of different wavelengths can also be sent along the row of beads. The program shows clearly: the difference between transverse and longitudinal  waves...how phase differences between the oscillations of  the particles of a medium give rise to a  traveling wave...how to measure wave speed, period, amplitude and wavelength

 

Click the 'Download' button to get the program.

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