A fun and easy-to-use wave machine kit for explaining basic and advanced wave theory. The pieces are in kit form that the user must assemble. Demonstrations with this set are all concerned with mechanical vibrations. However, all waves, mechanical, electromagnetic, water etc. satisfy the same wave equation and consequently have common wave properties. The understanding of mechanical waves can be easily transferred to other non-mechanical waves.
The kit contains:
- A transverse wave machine - 80 wooden rods spaced on nylon line with detachable weights, actuate the waves by hand - the movements of the rods create waves to illustrate transverse wave propagation
- Two loaded elastic cords - three metres of elastic cord threaded with weights and spacers, these illustrate transverse wave motion and enable the effects of different wave parameters, such as the mass per unit length, cell size and tension to be compared.
- An extension spring with weights to propagate both longitudinal and transverse waves
- A teacher's book with experiments and detailed quantitative analysis written by Dr. Cyril Isenberg of Kent University
This product has met the following criteria: