Oscillations & Waves
Oscillations
Simple Pendulum
PIRA: 3A10.10
Description: A simple pendulum can be erected, set into motion and timed to discuss the period of a simple harmonic oscillator. By using a motion sensor, the sinusoidal motion of the pendulum can be displayed.
Bowling Ball Pendulum with Motion Sensor
PIRA: 3A10.15
Description: The bowling ball can be suspended from the ceiling to create a pendulum. The period of the pendulum can be measured and the length of the pendulum can be calculated.
Different Mass Pendulums
PIRA: 3A10.17
Description: Pendula of the same length and different mass oscillate together.
Torsion Pendulum
PIRA: 3A10.30
Description: The torsional pendulum can be used to demonstrate that changes in the moment of inertia effect the angular speed of the object. The moment of inertia can be changed by placing masses in various positions on the disk. The torsional pendulum can also be used to discuss Hooke’s law and the torsional elastic constant, k. Discussions of torsional simple harmonic motion are also applicable.
Meter Stick Pendulum
PIRA: 3A15.11
Description: This can be used to demonstrate a physical pendulum.
Mass on a Spring
PIRA: 3A20.10
Description: When these springs are used to suspend the same mass, it can be shown that the frequency of oscillation depends on the spring constant of the material. The simple spring and mass system can be set into motion and timed to discuss the period of another simple harmonic oscillator. By using a motion sensor, the sine wave motion of the spring and mass system can be displayed. There is also a variation of this demo to show damped harmonic motion.
Springs & Masses
PIRA: 3A20.11
Description: When these springs are used to suspend the same mass, it can be shown that the frequency of oscillation depends on the spring constant of the material. The motion sensor can be used to show the sinusoidal motion.
Air Track Glider and Spring
PIRA: 3A20.30
Description: An air cart is attached to a single horizontal coil spring. The cart driven by a mechanical vibrator and function generator.
Turntable Oscillator and Pendulum
PIRA: 3A40.20
Description: Shadow project a pendulum and turntable which have identical frequencies.
Damped Motion with Motion Sensor
PIRA: 3A50.23
Description: A spring is hung above a motion sensor with a mass attached. A sheet of foam core is attached to the mass to create a damped effect.
Tacoma Narrows (video)
PIRA: 3A60.10
Description: The digitized video is about 9 minutes in length.
Resonance Pendula
PIRA: 3A60.31
Description: Several ping pong balls and a pool ball are suspended at different lengths from a horizontal support string. If the pool ball is set to oscillate, the ping pong balls will also swing. The largest amplitude will occur for the ping pong ball suspended at the same length as the pool ball.
Resonating Tuning Forks
PIRA: 3A60.52
Description: The various tuning forks have different frequencies and can be used in various ways to show the effects.
Resonating Water Column
PIRA: 3A60.53
Description: A speaker is placed above a tube of water. When the water level is right for the frequency, the tube becomes like a resonance chamber. The water level and the frequency can be adjusted to show this effect.
Wave Motion
Pulse on a Rope
PIRA: 3B10.10
Description: Give a heavy piece of stretched rope, rubber tubing, or nylon cord a quick pulse.
Pulse on a Spring
PIRA: 3B10.12
Description: This long spring can be attached to the wall in any of the lecture halls and then stretched nearly the length of the room. It is great for showing pulses and standing waves, but not longitudinal waves.
Slinky on the Table
PIRA: 3B10.20
Description: Create pulses and waves by hand on a slinky that is stretched down the lecture bench.
Bell Labs Wave Model
PIRA: 3B10.30
Description: The bell wave machine is a device constructed of many rods supported from their centers and connected by a cable. Displacement of one rod will propagate to the rest of the rods. Different length rods are available to display different wavelengths. Different boundary conditions can be constructed to show both reflection and transmission. The device is very versatile.
Columbia Wave Machine
PIRA: 3B10.41
Description: A wonderful antique device that with the turn of a crank shows the motions associated with water waves, sound waves, and ether waves.
Vibrating String
PIRA: 3B22.10
Description: Drive one end of a string over a pulley to a mass with variable frequency SHM.
Doppler Football
PIRA: 3B40.12
Description: Football emits a high frequency tone that demonstrates the Doppler Effect when thrown past, over, or by the students.
Leslie Speaker Doppler Effect
PIRA: 3B40.16
Description: One or two speakers rotate as they produce a frequency. The frequency changes as the speaker moves demonstrating the Doppler effect.
Ripple Tank – Single Slit
PIRA: 3B50.10
Description: Diffraction occurs from a plane wave passing through a single slit on the ripple tank.
Ripple Tank – Double Source
PIRA: 3B50.20
Description: The plane wave through each slit diffracts, but they also show interference.
Moire Pattern Transparencies
PIRA: 3B50.40
Description: A double slit representation of Moire patterns from two sheets of semicircular ruled transparencies.
Speaker Interference (Same Frequency)
PIRA: 3B55.10
Description: Two speakers run the same frequency but sit far enough away to hear the interference between the two.
Speaker Interference (Different Frequency)
PIRA: 3B55.11
Description: Two speakers run different frequencies and the beats between them can be heard.
Beat Tuning Forks
PIRA: 3B60.10
Description: Two identical tuning forks (A = 440 Hz) complete with sound boxes can be used to show resonance and beats. If one fork is struck, the other will vibrate sympathetically. A small clamp (or clay) is available to slightly change the frequency of one of the forks. When the two forks are then struck simultaneously, beats can be heard. In all cases, the sound can be amplified by the sound system in B16.
Acoustics
Bottle Scale (Pop Bottle with Water)
PIRA: 3C20.25
Description: The pop bottles contain different levels of water. When air is blown over the top they produce different frequencies depending on the level of water.
Instruments
Guitar
PIRA: 3D20.21
Description: Stringed instrument can be played to find the frequency of vibrating strings.
Violin
PIRA: 3D22.10
Description: Stringed instrument can be played to find the frequency of vibrating strings.
Resonating Water Column
PIRA: 3D30.10
Description: A speaker is placed above a tube of water. When the water level is right for the frequency, the tube becomes like a resonance chamber. The water level and the frequency can be adjusted to show this effect.
Corrugated Tube
PIRA: 3D30.17
Description: An open tube of corrugated plastic is whirled around at some frequency to produce a singing pipe.
Bell Jar
PIRA: 3D30.30
Description: A buzzer is placed in a bell jar. When the air is evacuated from the jar, the buzzer can no longer be heard.
Sound Level Meter
PIRA: 3D30.50
Description: This records the decibels of a sound.
Organ Pipes
PIRA: 3D32.10
Description: Show open and closed pipes of various lengths to give the monotonic scale.
Organ
PIRA: 3D32.11
Description: Video displaying current draw while pipe organ is played. (YouTube Link)
Xylophone
PIRA: 3D40.10
Description: Play this instrument to demonstrate the musical scale.
Chladni Plates
PIRA: 3D40.30
Description: A mechanical vibrator and function generator vibrate a horizontal metal plate covered with sand while touching the edge at various nodal points.
Bohr Model (Oscillating Wire)
PIRA: 3D40.41
Description: A circular wire can be vibrated into various nodes.
Brandy Snifter
PIRA: 3D40.51
Description: Create standing waves by gently rubbing your finger on the rim of a brandy snifter partially filled with colored water.
Assorted Tuning Forks
PIRA: 3D46.10
Description: These are used to hear and display the varying wavelengths and waveforms with the ear and oscilloscope respectively.