Class Blog 3: Catch the Wave

In class, we did a lab called Catch the Wave. This lab was done with three other students in my class as a group.
The tools/materials that were needed:

*foil pan
*water
*foam ball
*fabric ball

First we needed to fill half of the foil pan with water. Then with a pencil, we needed to touch the surface of the water at one end of the pan. We needed to do this twice each second for a minute. Afterwards, we had to place the foam ball in the center of the pan. Then, we had to take the pencil that we used before and touch the surface of the water (do this twice per second for a minute). The result from the tapping of the pencil is that the foam ball had floated in the direction of the waves, toward the other side of the pan. Then, we took out the foam ball and replaced it with a fabric ball. We did the same thing again (the tapping with the pencil). The result for the fabric ball was interesting. Once, we placed the fabric ball in the center, it just sunk to the bottom. So, the tapping with the pencil didn’t make the ball move, at all.

The three facts that I learned from this lab are:
*Since water is denser than air, water can only carry objects lighter than itself.
* The foam ball moved because of the movement of the pencil and other variables such as the air around the pan.
* Anything that touches water can make a wave.

My opinion on this lab is that it was interesting to do. It helped me to have a better understanding of waves and their movement. This was a fun and dripping experience!

Some interesting facts:
* There is another type of wave! It is called a ripple. A ripple is a combination of a transverse and longitudinal wave.
* A wave can be split up by a frequency. This is called dispersion.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waves