Students will create waves using metal springs. They use these simple waves to explore the fundamental properties of waves: wavelength, frequency and amplitude.
Students learn about wave energy and compare energy in waves with different properties. Students investigate sound waves.
Students explore properties of light waves. They use mirrors to explore reflection They use spectroscopes to analyze spectra of visible light and learn about the electromagnetic spectrum. They use filters to change the spectra of a light source and to learn about color. Finally, they determine how refraction changes the path of light rays as they travel between media.
Students learn about how information can be encoded and sent as digital waves to transfer large amounts of information efficiently over large distances.