National Science Foundation
Excellence Center of Science and Mathematics Education at King Saud University
Wave Interference
Make waves with a dripping faucet, audio speaker, or laser! Add a second source or a pair of slits to create an interference pattern.
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Topics
Main Topics
- Waves
- Sound
Related Topics
- Electric field, Interference, Diffraction, Double Slit, Frequency, Wavelength, Amplitude, Pitch, Pressure, Speakers, Transverse waves, Longitudinal waves, Light
Sample Learning Goals
- Find points of constructive and destructive interference by eye, and by using the detectors
- Predict wave patterns created by using slits.
- Predict the pattern of a reflected wave
- Relate two dimensional representations of waves to three dimensional waves
- Explain wave patterns from interfering waves using different sources and spacing
- Recognize the Doppler effect and predict the change in frequency that occurs
- In the light panel, predict the locations of the fringes that appear on the screen using d sin(?) = m?. Use the tape measure to verify your predictions.
Teaching Ideas
Tips for Teachers
There is no teacher's guide for this simulation.
Ideas and Activities for this Sim
There are 15 contributions listed.
 Title | Author | Level | Type | Updated |
| Applications of Parametric Equations | A. Sokolowski | UG-Intro MS | HW | 5/09 |
| CD's, DVD's & Optical Commmunication: Binary Coding and Diffraction Errors | D. Dandaneau | UG-Intro HS | Lab Other | 4/09 |
| Diffraction | S. Graham | HS | Lab | 4/07 |
| Diffracton PhET Lab for AP physics B | C. Bires | UG-Intro HS | Lab | 2/09 |
Invention Lab_Wave Interference   | N. Podolefsky | HS UG-Intro | Lab | 6/09 |
| Lab. Waves | M. Harden | HS | Lab | 5/08 |
| Light and Sound Wave Properties | K. Goodwin | MS | Lab | 3/08 |
| Probability and Randomness Interactive Lecture | S. McKagan | UG-Intro UG-Adv | CQs Demo | 7/08 |
| Ripple While You Work | D. Moutoux | HS | Lab HW | 5/08 |
| Water Waves in an Electric Sink | D. Baird | HS | Lab | 3/09 |
| Wave clicker questions (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | HS UG-Intro | CQs | 11/08 |
| Wave demonstrations: water, sound, light (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro HS | Demo CQs | 11/08 |
| Wave Interference in 2D | K. King | HS | Lab | 1/09 |
| Wave unit (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro HS | CQs Lab Demo | 8/09 |
| Wavey Simulation | G. Swanson | HS | Lab | 9/07 |
Submit Your Ideas & Activities
Software Requirements
| Windows Systems | Macintosh Systems | Linux Systems |
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Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.4.11 or later Apple Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Translated Versions
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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