Name

Date

Block

Waves lab part 1: what we already know

  1. What is a wave? Write down your idea of a definition.
  1. What are some examples of waves? Write down ideas that you have.

Today in class, we will be completing a series of activities to help us understand waves better. First, we should review the idea that matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Matter refers to things or substances.

Waves lab part 2: Gathering experiences & data

People

  1. Identify the matter:
  1. Draw and label the movement of one student participant.
  1. Draw and label the motion of the line of people.

Rope

  1. Identify the matter:
  1. Draw and label the movement of one small section of rope.
  1. Draw and label the motion of the entire rope.
  1. What action triggered (started) the motion of the rope?
  1. How can you keep the motion of the rope going?

Water

  1. Identify the matter:
  1. Overall, describe how the water moves.
  1. What action triggered (started) the motion of the water?

Dominoes

  1. Identify the matter:
  1. Describe the movement of one domino.
  1. Overall, describe how the rows of dominoes move.
  1. What action triggered (started) the motion of the dominoes?

Slinky Push

  1. Identify the matter:
  1. Describe the movement of one small section of slinky.
  1. Overall, describe how the entire slinky moves.
  1. What action triggered (started) the motion of the slinky?
  1. How can you keep the motion of the slinky going?

Scarf

  1. Identify the matter:
  1. Describe the movement of one section of the scarf.
  1. Overall, describe how the entire scarf moves.
  1. What action triggered (started) the motion of the scarf?
  1. How can you keep the motion of the scarf going?


Waves lab part 3: Looking for patterns

Let’s review our data, looking for patterns in our experiences. Remember that a molecule is the smallest piece of matter. For example, the smallest piece of water is a molecule of water.

People

  • What represents a molecule? Describe how the matter moves.
  • Describe the direction of the wave.

Rope

  • What represents a molecule? Describe how the matter moves.
  • Describe the direction of the wave.

Dominoes

  • What represents a molecule? Describe how the matter moves.
  • Describe the direction of the wave.

Slinky

  • What represents a molecule? Describe how the matter moves.
  • Describe the direction of the wave.

Leaves on Water

  • What represents a molecule? Describe how the matter moves.
  • Describe the direction of the wave.

Scarf

  • What represents a molecule? Describe how the matter moves.
  • Describe the direction of the wave.

Waves lab part 4

Putting it all together - conclusions

Think about your experiences in class and answer the following questions using complete sentences.

  1. Do waves interact with matter? How do you know?
  1. Does a wave carry matter/molecules with it as the wave moves? How do you know?
  1. What do waves carry?
  1. What did you or your partner do to initiate (start) the different waves or wave-models?
  1. In certain experiences in the lab, you created a wave that kept going. How did you do that?