Description: The video below shows a circular wave propagating in the ripple tank.  The wave is made with a pencil dipped into the water.  A meter stick has been placed on the surface for measurement purposes, the large markings represent 10 cm increments.  The video has been captured at a rate of 30 frames per second which means that 30 frame advances = 1 second of real world time.


 

Questions:

1.  Describe the direction of propagation of the circular wave.

2.  How would you measure the velocity of the wave?

3. Use the information contained in the video and your answer to #2 to determine the velocity of this wave.

4. As precise as you have been, your answer is not the actual velocity of the wave. What is the problem(s) with your measurement?
    You may want to inspect the setup again in part 1.

5.  If you had access to the equipment or could make additional measurements, how could you correct this problem?

On to Part Three