Curated OER
Radio Waves
In this radio waves activity, students read about how broadcasting uses radio waves to deliver sound and how radio signals are received. Then students complete 3 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Wave Equations
Students manipulate a model of a wave in order to solve the wave equation in 1 dimension. By using a model of a wave on a string the student is able to change the tension, length, and mass of the string as well as fix either end of the...
California Department of Education
Slap Tubes, Flutes, and Xylophones: The Physics of Pipe-Based Instruments
It's the encore to a wave unit. Individuals build either a slap tube, flute, or xylophone as a culminating activity for a physics unit on waves. Scholars calculate the lengths of pipes needed to produce the specific notes for their...
Curated OER
Making Waves, Making Music, Making Noise
Students construct "talking cans" and instruments to explain how vibration of objects produces various sounds.
Curated OER
Two Source Interference
The paths of waves generated from two different points are shown here on a sequence of slides. The lengths and directions are labeled, step-by-step. Finally, path interference is shown along with the calculations that your physics...
Science 4 Inquiry
Musical Vibes with Palm Pipes
Ancient people used musical pipes as early as the third millennium BCE. Young scientists explore the workings of musical pipes to better understand the relationship with frequency, length of pipe, and sound waves. They determine the...
Curated OER
The Color Spectrum: How Does it Work?
Create models of the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Working in small groups, your class can investigate metric conversions calculations. They will find the length of the waves in nanometers,...
Curated OER
Using Bubbles to Learn about Light Interference
Students explain the wave properties of light.
Curated OER
Typical Conceptual Questions for Physics I - Light and Quantum
This is a stellar overview of everything light and quantum! There are 30 multiple choice questions, none of them requiring any mathematical computation. There are a few diagrams to analyze: light rays striking reflective and refractive...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Curated OER
Take-Home Midterm Exam #3
The University of Hawaii has published a vast collection of midterm and final exams for their Physics 152 course. This particular exam offers a variety of assessment methods, and covers the topic of electromagnetic radiation....
Curated OER
Ocean: Waves
In this ocean waves worksheet, 6th graders read 2 pages about different types of ocean waves, then answer 10 true or false questions. An answer key is provided.
Curated OER
Wave Properties
In this wave properties worksheet, students will explore amplitude of waves, calculate wavelengths and frequency of waves in 11 fill in the blank and labeling questions.
Curated OER
Waves Velocity & Particle Velocity
In this physics worksheet, students examine a single wave pulse which travels down a slinky. Then they sketch a single ring of the slinky as the wave goes by and determine whether the wave is constant or not.
Curated OER
Making a Musical Instrument
Students determine how music is produced through sound waves and how instruments produce music differently than others. They construct flutes out of straws and explore how to adjust the sound.
Curated OER
Can You Carry a Tune in a Bucket?
Students use water filled pipes to play a tune and consider the mathematics behind the sound waves. In this sound wave lesson, students play a tune with water filled pipes. They create a mathematical model to evaluate the wavelengths and...
Curated OER
High or Low
In this wave properties worksheet, students will experiment to see how the sound made by vibrating a ruler is affected by the length of the part that is vibrating. Then students will answer 5 questions based on the results of the...
Urbana School District
Light
You matter, unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light ... then you energy. Presentation covers the behavior of light as both a wave and a particle, light versus sound, space travel, why objects have colors, depth perception,...
University of Colorado
The Jovian Basketball Hoop
A radio receives radio signals, converts them to an electrical signal, then converts this signal to a sound signal, and amplifies the sound so people can hear it. Class members use this information to create a short-wave radio antenna...
University of Colorado
The Jovian Basketball Hoop
Can you listen to Jupiter on a simple radio? Turns out the answer is yes! The resource instructs scholars to build a simple radio to pick up the radio waves created when the charged particles from the sun hit Jupiter's magnetic...
Teach Engineering
Acoustic Mirrors
Investigate sound waves with acoustic mirrors. Using audio software, groups make recordings of musical instruments, both with and without acoustic mirrors. They compare the recordings to see the effect of acoustic mirrors on sound waves.
It's About Time
Sounds from Vibrating Air
Take note, or notes, as the case may be. A scientific music lesson is the third in a set of eight covering waves and instruments. Scholars use straws, test tubes, and water to create various wind instruments. Then, they read and answer...
Curated OER
Measuring the Speed of a Wave
Students create an experiment in which they measure the speed of a wave and record the data in a graph. They work in small groups to write the procedure for the experiment and share it with another group for cross checking of the...
Curated OER
Chandra Spies the Longest Sound Wave in the Universe!
In this black hole activity, students use an x-ray image and a sound waves image to determine the size and the wavelength of the sound wave. This activity has 3 problems to solve.