written by Wolfgang Christian

The Ripple Tank Model for Teachers allows instructors to simulate 2D wave interference. A ripple tank is a shallow glass tank of water used to demonstrate the basic properties of waves. The tank is usually illuminated from above, so that the light shines through the water.  The ripples on the water show up as shadows on the screen underneath the tank.  In the default visualization the wave crests and troughs are shown as red and blue.  Users can change the number of sources, their amplitude and phase, and other parameters. Selecting student mode repackages the modified simulation into a stand-alone jar file with fewer options for classroom use.

The Ripple Tank Model for Teachers was created using the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) modeling tool.  It is distributed as a ready-to-run (compiled) Java archive.  Double clicking the ejs_waves_teacher_RippleTank.jar file will run the program if Java is installed.

• Download ejs_waves_RippleTank.jar - 1380kb Java Archive File

Published June 7, 2012
Last Modified June 11, 2014

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A pdf file that provides additional documentation regarding customization of this simulation.

• Download ejs_waves_ripple_tank_documentation.pdf - 199kb Adobe PDF Document

Published June 9, 2012
Last Modified August 9, 2012

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This file has previous versions.

Exploration sheet for the Ripple Tank 2-Source exploration exercise.

• Download RippleTank_two_source_exploration.pdf - 107kb Adobe PDF Document

Published June 9, 2012
Last Modified June 9, 2012

This file is included in the full-text index.
This file has previous versions.

This model provides a standing wave for use with the Ripple Tank 2-Source Exploration.

• Download RippleTank_two_source_exploration.jar - 1704kb Java Archive File

Published June 9, 2012
Last Modified June 9, 2012

This file has previous versions.

The source code zip archive contains an XML representation of the Ripple Tank Model for Teachers.   Unzip this archive in your EJS workspace to compile and run this model using EJS.

• Download ejs_waves_RippleTank.zip - 46kb Compressed File

Last Modified June 11, 2014

This file has previous versions.