Waves on a String Remote Lab

This lab uses the Waves on a String simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations at University of
Colorado Boulder, under the CC-BY 4.0 license.
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/wave-on-a-string/latest/wave-on-a-string_en.html

Learning Goals: Students will be able to:

A. Discuss waves’ properties using common vocabulary.
B. Predict the behavior of waves through varying mediums and at reflective endpoints.
C. Use scientific vocabulary for wave properties and behavior.

Develop your understanding: Open Waves on a String, then investigate wave behavior. As you explore,
think about how you would describe waves and some reasons the waves might act the way they do.

Explain your understanding:

1. Write a list of characteristics to describe the waves. Describe each characteristic in your own
words so that any person could understand waves. Use images to help with the descriptions.
Tips: Later during this lab, you will relate your own descriptions to scientific ones. It is
important that you have your own words to begin your learning, so don’t do any research yet.
Also, learning is best when you make your own drawings. Perhaps you can insert images of
your own drawings. if not then use images from Waves on a String that look like your
drawings.

Wave Characteristics:
1. Wave motion is a process to transfer energy from one point to another.
2. Wave travels through a medium.
3. A wave has values of frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and velocity.
4. Oscillation is involved.
5. electromagnetic waves don't need medium to travel.
8. Waves have two types, longitudinal and transverse.
9. Waves can interfere with each other constructively or destructively.

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Expand your understanding:

For steps 2-5 Investigate waves with Oscillate and No End

Tips: Helpful tools and

2. Use the Amplitude slider. Answer the questions; include images

a. Define Amplitude in everyday language.
Maximum distance a wave can travel from equilibrium to each crest or trough
b. Explain how the wave behaves as the Amplitude changes using the characteristics you
described in #1
The distances of each points’ travel changes, longer if the amplitude increases, shorter if
amplitude decreases.

3. Use the Frequency slider. Answer the questions; include images.

a. Define Frequency in everyday language.
Measure of how many periods of wave travels in a second
b. Explain how the wave behaves as the Frequency changes using the characteristics you
described in #1
The higher the frequency, the wave gets compressed horizontally, traveling more periods
of wave per second.
4. Use the Tension slider. Answer the questions; include images.
a. Define Tension in everyday language.
The force that holds each points of the string, binding each other
b. Explain how the wave behaves as the Tension changes using the characteristics you
described in #1
Lowering the tension of a wave makes points to easily detach from each other. This
makes the oscillating pole take longer to transfer its oscillation to the point further away
from it.
5. Use the Damping slider. Answer the questions; include images.
a. Define Damping in everyday language.
Loss of energy due to friction force in wave
b. Explain how the wave behaves as the Damping changes using the characteristics you
described in #1
Higher damping has a faster rate of decreasing the amplitude of the wave while low
damping has a slower rate of decreasing the amplitude.

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Practice applying your understanding:

6. A wave was generated by Oscillation and paused at two different times.

Describe differences and similarities in the characteristics of the wave at different times.

Similarity Difference
- Amplitude - position of each corresponding points
- Wavelength
- Damping & Tension

Investigate for understanding:

7. Make a wave with the Oscillator with no Damping

a. Measure the vertical and horizontal location of a green ball with the ruler and record the
time.

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 Use to collect data to make a data table of the time, vertical and horizontal
positions of the same green ball. Make sure to include observations when the green ball is
above and below the middle line.
time vertical horizontal
(cm) (cm)
0.00 0 5
~1.34 0 5
1.36 +0.20 5
1.38 +0.25 5
1.40 +0.45 5
1.42 +0.55 5
1.44 +0.60 5
1.46 +0.70 5
1.48 +0.80 5
1.50 +0.90 5
1.52 +0.92 5
1.54 +0.95 5
1.56 +0.99 5
1.58 +1.00 5
1.60 +0.99 5
1.62 +0.98 5
1.64 +0.95 5
1.66 +0.88 5
1.68 +0.84 5
1.70 +0.67 5
1.72 +0.61 5
1.74 +0.58 5
1.76 +0.42 5

b. Make graphs of vertical position versus time and horizontal position versus time.
Describe or include images of each graph.

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 c. How do the graphs help you understand the characteristics of waves?
- I could figure out that a point of a wave doesn’t horizontally get displaced.
- Tracking vertical displacement of a point can trace the wave.

d. Predict how the graphs will look if you increase the damping.
Test your ideas and explain why damping affects the graphs.
Prediction : Increased damping would result in smaller amplitude as the wave travels
further away.
Explanation : Because of loss of energy, as the amplitude represents the amount of energy
a wave contains, the amplitude decreases because damping works as a friction force,
reducing the energy the wave has.

9. Investigate how waves behave with other settings: Fixed, Loose, Manual, Pulse. Write a summary
of your observations including images for evidence.
Fixed:
The wave will have a reflected wave that will travel back towards the starting point. The
reflected wave will have the same amplitude, frequency and wavelength as the initial
wave, but the direction of the wave will be in the opposite direction, the standing wave.

Loose End:
The wave will return to its origin without reflection, but at the same amplitude, frequency
and wavelength as the initial wave.

Manual:
doesn’t automatically oscillate, but trace the vertical displacement the user moves.

Pulse:
Only creates half a period of wave upward, which is the pulse.

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Test your understanding:

The figure below shows a rope on a smooth floor with a knot at point A. Someone has shaken the end
sideways to make a pulse. You are looking down and taking a movie of the motion. Below is one freeze
frame of the movie.

Underline your answer for each situation:

1. If you advance the movie one frame, the knot at point A would be
a) in the same place b) higher c) lower d) to the right e) to the left
2. If the person generates a new pulse like the first but more quickly, the pulse would be
a) same size b) wider c) narrower
3. If the person generates another pulse like the first but he moves his hand further, the pulse would be
a) same size b) taller c) shorter
4. If the person generates another pulse like the first but the rope is tightened, the pulse will move
a) at the same rate b) faster c) slower

Now the person moves his hand back and forth several times to produce several waves. You freeze the
movie and get this snapshot.

Underline your answer for each situation:

5. If you advance the movie one frame, the knot at point A would be
a) in the same place b) higher c) lower d) to the right e) to the left

6. If you advance the movie one frame, the pattern of the waves will be _________relative to the hand.
a) in the same place
b) shifted right
c) shifted left
d) shifted up
e) shifted down

7. If the person starts over and moves his hand more quickly, the peaks of the waves will be
a) the same distance apart b) further apart c) closer together

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 8. If you lower the frequency of a wave on a string you will
a) lower its speed. b) increase its wavelength. c). lower its amplitude. d) shorten its
period.

9. Consider this wave approaching a fixed end

Which shows the wave after it reflects?

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