Wave Interference Lab

Part 1 – Water one source

1) Open the Wave Interference PhET simulation. (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/wave-interference)

On the first tab, what can you change about the simulation?

In the first tab you can change the frequency and amplitude of the wave.

2) Select “Show Graph.” What is on each axis? How would you explain what it is showing in simple terms?

On each axis there is a wave that alternates between black and white.

3) Start with one drip and change the frequency and amplitude. First, predict what you think will happen then record
what happens below.

How does the graph

Prediction Observations
change?

I think changing the frequency of As the frequency of the

Changing the frequency to high made
the water will make the ripple water is increased or
Changing the water look like water drop much
appear quicker or slower. decreased the speed at
frequency faster and when the frequency was
which the water dropped
low the water drop was very slow.
but not the water level.

I think changing the amplitude of Changing the amplitude of the water As the amplitude of the
Changing
the water will make each ripple changed the size of the water and the graph increases the water
amplitude
bigger or smaller. ripple of the water as well. level increases as well.

Part 2 – Water two sources (Interference tab)

4) Try two drips and repeat #2.

How does the graph

Prediction Observations
change?

I think changing the frequency of As the frequency of the

the water interaction will change Changing the frequency of the water water is increased the
Changing the speed they interact with made the interactions between the speed at which the water
frequency waves very quick or slow which made drops increases/decreases
the ripples quicker/slower as well but the water level itself
does not change.

Changing I think changing the amplitude of
amplitude the wave will make each water
bigger and will make the ripple of
the water bigger
Changing the amplitude of the water
made the water lighter and affected
how big the ripple was. For example a
high amplitude had big ripples while
low amplitude had small ripples.
As the amplitude of the
graph increases the water
level of the water changes
with it for example it
increases if the amplitude
is higher and decreases if
 the amplitude is lower..

5) Based on your observations, summarize what happens when you change the frequency and amplitude with one or
two drips.

When you change the frequency the speed at which the water moves changes from quick to slow depending on the
frequency setting(true for both one and two drips).The amplitude determines how much pressure there is upon a
water level and changing it will make the wave more intense and bigger depending on the amplitude setting(same for
both one and two drips).

Part 3 – Sound

6) Now switch to sound. Start with one speaker and click on “Show Graph”. Turn the volume on your computer to a
very low setting.

What happens when you change the frequency?

When you change the frequency the wave changes in size for example a high frequency wave is alot thinner while a
low frequency wave is alot bigger and spaced out.

What happens when you change the amplitude?

When you change the amplitude the wave changes in color to signify its intensity. If the amplitude is high the
intensity of the wave is shown while if the amplitude is low the wave is hard to see and is low in intensity.

7) Choose “Add Detector.” (far right tool) How does the detector compare to the graph below the speaker?

The detector tool shows the exact pressure at a certain point while the graph shows the pressure traveling over time.

8) How does the detector graph change if you move it around the simulation by dragging the gray target?

The detector graph changes if you move the gray target around the simulation by showcasing the pressure over time
at a certain point

9) Add a second speaker. How does the pressure graph at the bottom of the screen compare to the original graph?

The pressure graph shows that the pressure from the two speakers travels farther in position compared to an
individual speaker.

10) Place your detector on the dotted line. How does your detector graph compare to the Pressure graph?

The detector is always consistent while the graph fluctuates at the start and becomes consistent near the end.The
section where both the detector and graph are consistent show very similar results of the wave.

11) Add a second detector. Place it at a random place on the screen. How does it compare to your first detector? What
could be happening?

The detectors are off sync and are very different from one another.The reasoning for why this could be happening is
that since the whole wave changes since the beginning the different points in the wave represent different pressure
of the wave and since the detectors are in random positions they showcase different results.

12) Try to find a location for your detector that has very little pressure. What does this point represent in terms of the
sound you would hear at the location?

This point represents that you are hearing the sound very far from where the sound came from.

13) Move the speakers apart and see if it makes it better or worse. Record what you find.

When moving the speakers apart the sound the pressure ends up reaching further than before.

14) How would you apply this demo to setting up a home theatre system? Move the speakers apart and see if it makes
it better or worse.

In a home theatre I would place the speakers far apart from each other this way the sound can reach me more than if
placed closely.

Listen to the following song...can you hear the beats?

Sofi Needs a Ladder - deadmau5

15) Read about interference at http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~gibson/Notes/Section5_2/Sec5_2.htm. Stop when you

get to the mathematical section. We are just going to talk about the concept for now.

Conclusion

In a few sentences answer the following questions.

How do the properties of frequency and amplitude affect how we hear sound?

The frequency affects how a wave behaves,depending on the frequency the wave is either thinly pact(high frequency)
or loosely pact(low frequency) in sound waves these determine the pitch of the sound we hear.The amplitude affects
the intensity of a wave and in sound waves amplitude affects the intensity of sound which determines how loud the
sound is.

What is an everyday example of two sources of sound?

Multiple people talking in a conversation or a tv playing sound while you're talking to someone.

What happens when two sources simultaneously make noise?

When two sources simultaneously make noise if they have the same frequency and amplitude the two sound sources
will connect at some point near the middle and amplify that sound but if one sound has higher frequencies and
amplitude that sound will tone out the other sound.

Why might there be a preferred seat at the movie theatre or concert?

There might be a preferred seat at the movie theatre or concert because the speakers that play out the sound will be
the most clear at a certain section.