Fish Wave

Startled fish cause a wave surge as their individual movements constructively interfere.

Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions

• How can small fish make a big wave?
• Why do the waves get bigger and then smaller?
• Does this pattern appear in other circumstances?

Classroom Suggestions

• Fish Wave 1: Introduce the phenomenon and show the wave’s amplitude increasing. Have students generate questions.
• Fish Wave 2: Shows the fish in random movement before the phenomenon and the stimulus for their reaction. This video has a wider view and shows both raceways of fish reacting with different results.
• The Wave Interference and the Double Slit Experiment helps to show light’s wave properties by demonstrating the constructive interference and the diffraction pattern that develops from interference with the reflected waves.
• Basic Wave Properties: Demonstrate how small disturbances can add up to waves with big amplitudes or show students waves through a liquid reflecting off a solid surface. 

Related Resources

• PBS Digital Studios: Traveling Waves: Crash Course Physics #17: This video provides the basics of waves (0:00 to 2:10).
• JavaLab Wave Propagation: This simulation allows students to propagate waves, showing the development of an diffraction pattern.
• The Physics Classroom: Wave Addition: This teacher-generated wave simulation activity also contains links to curriculum materials and other resources
• Veritasium: The Original Double Slit Experiment: This video contains explanations and demonstrations. He talks to the man on the street about light and goes briefly into the history of light as a wave (0:59-2:14), shows a simple double slit experiment (2:15-3:45), and explains it using water waves (4:14-6:33).