GCSE Physics set practical Speed of Waves

Which 3 key features of water waves will the ripple tank practical allow you to find?

• Wavelength, speed and frequency

• Depth, height and width

• Wavelength, distance and time

• Speed, frequency and depth

In order to find the wavelength of the waves, which device is suggested?

• Voltmeter

• Mobile Phone

• Toaster

• Oscilloscope

A still image of the waves on the piece of paper can be used to find the wavelength. What instrument will be used for this measurement?

• Mobile Phone

• Metre Rule

• Toaster

• Oscilloscope

Taking a measurement of lots of wavelengths and dividing by the number of wavelengths will improve the final answer in what way?

• Improves its precision by reducing the effect of random errors.

• Improves its precision by reducing the chance of measuring incorrectly

• Improves its accuracy by making the metre rule more precise

In order to find the frequency of the waves, what do we need to know?

• The speed of the waves

• The number of waves passing a point each second

• The time taken for a wave to travel across the tank

• The time taken for a wave to reflect from the far side of the tank.

In order to find the frequency of the waves, which 2 pieces of equipment are used? Select the best answer.

• An oscilloscope and a stopwatch

• A stopwatch and a voltmeter

• A mobile phone and a stopwatch 'in frame' in the recording

• A stopwatch and a mobile phone.

We can find the frequency of the waves by...? (again, choose the best method).

• Watch a slowmotion replay of the waves and counting how many pass a point in 10 seconds

• Watch a slow motion replay of the waves and timing how long it takes one wave to pass a point

• Watch the waves and count how many pass a point in 5 seconds

• Watch a slow motion replay of the waves and count all the waves.

After finding how many waves pass a point in 10 seconds, next you should...?

• Multiply this time by 10 to find the time for 1 wave, this is the period

• Divide this number by 10 to find the frequency

• Write down this number in seconds, this is the period.

We now know the frequency and the wavelength. How do we find the speed of the wave?

• Using v = 1/2mv^2

• Using speed = distance/time

• Using E = mc^2

An alternative way to find the speed of the waves is to time how long it takes a wave to cross the tank, then do distance/time to find speed. This would require: (SELECT THE BEST 2)

• Using a phone to record a short video of the waves, with a running stopwatch in frame

• Using a stopwatch and pressing start and stop carefully as the wave leaves/arrives.

• Measuring the full length of the tank using a metre rule