Creating a Virtual Ripple Tank in Microsoft Word

Wagner, Judson

doi:doi:10.1119/1.2336143

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The Physics Teacher -- September 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 6, pp. 376

Creating a Virtual Ripple Tank in Microsoft Word

Judson Wagner

Concord High School, Wilmington, DE

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Abstract

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A ripple tank is an excellent apparatus for displaying the interference pattern generated by circular waves originating from two points in a shallow basin of water. What sets it apart from the interference by sources of sound and light is that it allows the interfering waves to be seen and measured (see Fig. 1). This paper describes a fairly quick way to investigate two-dimensional wave interference on a computer without putting that computer near a wet, sloshing tank of water. Microsoft Word was used for this purpose, although a wide range of other simple drawing programs may be employed.

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

physics education, optics, light interference, computer applications, Web sites, pattern formation

PACS

01.40.gb

Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Lc

Laboratory computer use
01.55.+b

General physics

History

Online Aug 2006

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0031-921X (print)

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$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef

American Association of Physics Teachers

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.2336143

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See EPAPS Document No. E-PHTEAH-44-027606 (http://ftp.aip.org/cgi-bin/epaps?ID=E-PHTEAH-44-027606) for a downloadable version of the single set of concentric circles. For more information on EPAPS, see http://www.aip.org/pubservs/epaps.html. Interested readers can email the author for instructions on how to build their own circles and interference pattern. [EPAPS]
See EPAPS Document No. E-PHTEAH-44-027606 (http://ftp.aip.org/cgi-bin/epaps?ID=E-PHTEAH-44-027606) for the Word document containing the interference pattern. [EPAPS]
If you experience problems working with the lines from the Drawing toolbar, click the Draw button, select Grid, and uncheck the box "snap o bjects to the grid."
Thomas Greenslade, "Photocopied Beats, Phys. Teach. 43, 514 (Nov. 2005PHTEAH000043000008000514000001).