When Waves Collide

Overview

Objectives/Goals Problem Statement: A wave is produced when there is a disturbance in a flexible medium. What happens when two waves travel through the same point? Hypothesis: I predict that when two waves pass through a point, the resulting wave will increase in height. Methods/Materials Materials: Metal Spring (slinky), Ruler, Wire, Wood Board,2 Hooks, 300 Pencils, Hot Glue Gun, Meter Stick, Water, Rectangular Tank, Food Coloring, 20 Quarters, Cellophane, Tape, Wooden Spoon (cooking spoon) Common Methods: I used a video camera because observing these wave collisions with the naked eye is almost impossible. I repeated each experiment ten times, recording measurements of single waves and interactions between two waves. Specific Methods: Compression Wave: 1) I stretched a spring one yard. 2) To create two waves, my helper and I compressed each end simultaneously. Transverse Wave: 1) I attached hooks to a wood board and stretched wire between the hooks. 2) I glued pencils to the wire. 3) I made a measuring board next to my wave creator. 4) To produce two waves, I tapped both ends of the wire. Common Water Methods: 1) I filled a tank with colored water for visibility. 2) I taped a ruler onto the tank. Specific Methods: Water Wave: 3) I pushed the tank three inches creating a single wave then pushed and pulled back the tank three inches to make the second. Circular Water Wave: 3) I set a wooden board on the tank. 5) I placed two wrapped stacks of ten quarters on 9 cm. marks and pushed them off with a wooden spoon. Results Results: Single compressional waves ranged from 2 to 6 cm. and averaged 3.75 cm. During the collision, the average was 4.38 cm. with a range of 2.5 to 7.5 cm., an increase of 16.8%. Transverse waves average deltas were 2.48cm with a range of 0.9 to 6.5 cm. Collision waves averaged 3.06 cm with a range of 1.8 to 4.2 cm., a 23.4% increase. Single water waves ranged from 0.4 to 1.7 cm. and averaged 1.02 cm. During the collision they ranged from 1.7 to 4.6 cm. averaging 2.65 cm., an increase of 159.8%. Circular water waves averaged 0.62 cm. with a range of 0.2 to 1 cm. During the collision, the average wave was 1.06 cm. with a range of 0.3 to 1.8 cm., an increase of 70.9%. Conclusions/Discussion Conclusion: When two waves are interacting, a larger wave is temporarily formed, diminishing as the

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Physics & Astronomy · Entry J1615

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