Properties of Waves Lab (using a slinky to understand electromagnetic waves)
- PDF
Description
Students use a slinky to see the main properties of a wave. They will determine the relationship between wavelength, frequency, speed and energy of a wave. Students then apply these relationships to understand the properties of electromagnetic waves. Students are also introduced to the concept of the medium that a wave travels through.
Students use their phone cameras to record a standing wave created by their slinky for 10 seconds. They then use the metersticks placed on the floor to measure the wavelength. Students calculate the frequency of the wave based on their hand movements during the 10 seconds. They then use wavelength and frequency to determine the speed of the wave.
Due to friction with the floor the speed of the waves will look like it is changing, so students will watch a slow motion video of two waves of different frequencies to understand the waves actually travel at the same speed. Students use this information plus math to explain why speed should be constant and identify errors in their experiment that caused it to not appear constant. Students use their observations during the lab to determine the pattern for energy of a wave. All of the questions pull students back to electromagnetic waves.
This activity is great for the units related to waves, the atmosphere or forms of energy. It was designed for a 9th grade physical science course.
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Key Features:
- Video Instructions how to do the lab
- Absent students can use the video to collect data
- Multiple modalities used (hands on, visual, drawing, math, reading)
- Students get to use cell phone cameras
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What is included:
- Student worksheet (pdf) with links to videos and an article
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Materials needed:
- Long slinky or spring
- Meter Sticks
- Video Cameras for each group
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