Water Ripples

This video shows ripples, from a variety of sources and hitting a variety of objects, in the relatively still waters of Chichaqua.

• How are the ripples made when we can’t see something moving in the water?

• Why do the ripples look different?
• How can the ripples affect other objects in the water?

Students could:

• Conduct an investigation where they dip vibrating tuning forks in shallow water dishes to see the effects on the ripples.
• Model the ripples as waves in a jump rope, slinky or parachute, and describe the different things that can change about the wave (amplitude and wavelength).
• Use a water tank to investigate how waves of differing amplitude and wavelength are made and affect objects on the surface of the water.
• Draw models of waves with differing patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength.
• Make up a story to tell or act out how a wave moves through a material, including how the wave is started and how the pattern repeats.

• TeachEngineering | Simon Says Big Amplitude, Small Wavelength!: Hands-on activity to develop the concept of wavelength and amplitude.
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | The Collapse of "Galloping Gertie" (The Tacoma Narrows Bridge):On November 7, 1940, the bridge spanning the Tacoma Narrows Strait of Puget Sound collapsed after moving dramatically up and down during high winds. The bridge garnered the name "Galloping Gertie," because of the motion it made before collapsing. This can serve as an additional phenomenon. 
• Ambitious Science Teaching | Sound Energy Unit Grade 4: High-quality unit that incorporates activities for this and other waves-related standards.
• Two Bit Circus | Fourth Grade Science Waves-Sound: NSTA-vetted fourth-grade waves unit.
• PBS LearningMedia | Zoom: Sounds and Solids: Video showing a tuning fork demonstration.