Objective: Create a Wave Machine to Investigate Wave Motion

Name: Block: Date: #

Wave Machine Activity

Objective: Create a wave machine to investigate wave motion

Safety: Be extremely careful while handling pointed skewers Do not eat the Gummy Bears which will be used for the lab

FYI: Gummy Bears will represent water particles

Materials: 2 horizontal bars for anchoring, duct tape, metric stick or metric ruler, wooden skewers, Gummy Bears, sharpie, masking tape, maybe a stop watch Set up:  Follow the teachers instructions for set up of horizontal bars  Run duct tape (sticky side up) slightly longer than the distance available (1.5 to 3 meters)  Wrap the ends of the tape around each “bar” on opposite ends o Make sure the tape is stretched tightly o Teacher will give each group a distance between skewers o Measure and mark the tape at assigned distances  Place Gummy Bears on each end of an appropriate number skewers needed for assigned distance o Put the same color Gummy Bear on either side of the same skewer  Place kabob skewers along the tape on the marks at assigned distances. o Place a few (4?) skewers with the same color gummy bears in a row before switching to another color; this shows the wave best o Once you have the skewers placed, run a strip of masking tape along the top of the skewers to secure them to the duct tape  To level the wave machine, move the Gummy Bears in or out on the skewer appropriately so your tape is flat  DO NOT PLAY WITH THE WAVE MACHINE – FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS BELOW

Procedure/Data:  Get at eye level with the Gummy Bears (Do NOT look from above.)  Lift a Gummy Bear at one end of the wave machine o Note its color and location  Observe the motion of the wave from the side (not looking at the tape from the top). Did the Gummy Bear move toward the other end of the machine? Why not?

What is the medium through which the energy is traveling? Higher Wave Height Explain any change in action which had to be made to make the height of the wave higher.

Lower Wave Height Explain any change in action which had to be made to make the height of the wave lower.

Short wavelength Explain any change in action which had to be made to make the length of the wave shorter.

Long wavelength Explain any change in action which had to be made to make the length of the wave longer.

FYI: Frequency is the number of waves that pass a specific point in a given amount of time. You can use a stop watch to measure frequency. Apply: Please answer in complete QA sentences. Which waves had higher frequency – the long wavelength waves or the short wavelength waves?

How does a wave form?

In which direction is the energy of an ocean wave moving?