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HANDS-ON LAB
Spring Toy
Have you ever felt the vibration of a large truck or bus passing by on a MATERIALS
nearby road? The moving vehicle transfers some of its energy to the • safety goggles
ground, causing it to vibrate. The particles in the ground transmit the • masking tape
vibrations along the surface of the ground to your feet. You feel a shaking
• measuring tape
sensation when the energy of the vibration transfers to you. The vibration
you feel has a similar pattern as the vibration caused by the truck’s wheels • spring toy
on the road. • timer

The energy transferred to the road from the truck traveled to your feet in a
mechanical wave. Mechanical waves require a medium through which to
travel. You also hear the motion of the truck as it passes by. The same
vibrations that cause the mechanical wave in the road also cause a mechanical wave in the air.
When that wave reaches your ears, you perceive it as sound.

The waves generated by the truck can be described by its speed, frequency, wavelength, period,
and amplitude. In this activity, you will investigate the properties and behavior of longitudinal and
transverse waves using a spring toy. You will provide the vibration that initiates each wave that
travels down the spring. By changing the vibration, you can change the properties of the wave.

RESEARCH QUESTION What are the properties of longitudinal and transverse waves?

MAKE A CLAIM
How does changing the amplitudes of longitudinal and transverse waves affect their speeds?

SAFETY INFORMATION
 Wear safety goggles during the setup, hands-on, and takedown segments of the activity.
 Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after completing this activity.

PLAN THE INVESTIGATION

1. What questions about longitudinal and transverse waves would you like to investigate using
the materials listed? Work with your group or class to generate four to six questions that
relate to various wave properties, including frequency, wavelength, period, wave speed, and
amplitude. One or more of your questions should help you investigate your claim.
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Hands-On Lab Student Worksheet 1 Waves and Matter

Original content copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
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2. How will you attempt to answer each question? Your plans should describe how you will
move the spring toy and how you will gather evidence using observation and the materials
provided. Explain how you will use multiple trials to obtain valid results. Write your plan in
your Evidence Notebook.

3. Prepare a data table or other system for recording your evidence from each test. If you will
make distance or time measurements for multiple trials, include a way to record averages.

4. Obtain approval from your teacher before you begin your investigation.

CARRY OUT THE INVESTIGATION

1. Have two people stretch a spring toy along the floor. Hold one end of the spring still. Use a
push-pull motion at the other end to make a wave. Observe how this wave moves along the
spring.

2. Shake one end of the spring from side to side to make a wave. Observe how this wave
moves along the spring.

3. Perform the additional tests that you planned in your Evidence Notebook. As you carry out
your plan, note any issues or new ideas that emerge during the investigation. Consult with
your teacher about any changes to your inquiry strategy.

ANALYZE
1. Which wave type vibrated parallel to the length of the spring? Which wave type vibrated
perpendicular to the length of the spring?
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2. Draw labeled diagrams showing characteristics of each wave type.

Longitudinal Wave

Transverse Wave

Hands-On Lab Student Worksheet 2 Waves and Matter

Original content copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
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3. How did you change the amplitude of the longitudinal wave? How did you change the
amplitude of the transverse wave? What evidence indicates that amplitude is related to
energy?
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4. What patterns in wave speed did you observe during your tests?
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5. How did you change the frequency of a wave? How can you change its wavelength? What
evidence, if any, indicates that these wave properties are related to energy?
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CONSTRUCT AN EXPLANATION
1. Explain the relationship between the properties of a vibration and the properties of the wave
it generates.
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2. Develop a Model How could you use the spring toy to model the sound produced by a
tuning fork? Explain what wave type you would generate and how the wave could represent
the specific musical note that the tuning fork produces.
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Hands-On Lab Student Worksheet 3 Waves and Matter

Original content copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.