Explore waves in our environment and the characteristics of sinusoidal waves—amplitude, frequency, and wavelength.
Students will go through the 4 phases of Engage – Explore – Explanation – Extension learning activities to learn about sinusoidal waves.
In the engage activity, students will watch a video clip of waves in nature, before focusing on the characteristics of sinusoidal waveforms. [https://youtu.be/8aCokqZ8w5E?t=14]
Students will be prompted observe the pattern of the phenomenon they notice in the video.
In the explore activity, students will share their observations of the features they noticed from the waveform in the youtube video. They will experiment with the kinetic wave motion machine to gain a sensorimotor experience of a sine wave.
In the explanation activity, the teacher will go through the theory of waves using this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2s2fZr8sqQ]. Further elaboration is made by 3 additional videos:
· https://contrib.pbslearningmedia.org/WGBH/buac20/buac20-int-wavesamplitude/index.html
· https://ophysics.com/waves1.html
· https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/waves-intro/latest/waves-intro_all.html
In the final extension phase, students are asked to share design applications inspired by sinusoidal waveform.
This activity builds motivation for this lesson through real life experiences.
1. Teacher will play a video of sea waves using a video clip of a sinusoidal waveform
https://youtu.be/8aCokqZ8w5E?t=14
2. Teacher prompts students to observe the patterns they detect from the sea waves shown.
Students experiment with the sinusoidal wave kinetic structure to explore its characteristics
Teacher carry out the following steps:
1. Ask students to share the features they noticed from the waveform in the youtube video
2. Solicit the features of waveform : wavelength (or frequency) and amplitude
3. Invite students to manipulate the sine wave kinetic sculpture
4. Prompt students to examine the wavelength and amplitude of the sinusoidal wave kinetic sculpture
5. Ask students to share sinusoidal waves they encounter in everyday life, besides sea waves?
[Some answers which teacher may use:
The periodic rotations of a crankshaft in an engine
The rotation of a Ferris wheel
The fluctuating hours of daylight in a specific location throughout a calendar year
Breathing
Tae Kwan Do https://youtu.be/q0F7ByzE41E?t=87
Stadium waves https://www.exploratorium.edu/blogs/tangents/stadium-waves
Wavetank https://youtu.be/Z8lBSU1rc_A]
Reinforce the understanding of sine wave by some theories and computer simulation
Teacher go through the following steps:
1. Go through the explanation of the characteristics of sinusoidal waveforms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2s2fZr8sqQ
2. Change the parameters to observe changes in the sinusoidal waveform
https://contrib.pbslearningmedia.org/WGBH/buac20/buac20-int-wavesamplitude/index.html
https://ophysics.com/waves1.html
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/waves-intro/latest/waves-intro_all.html
3. Determine the characteristics of a wave through a short exercise (wave.pdf).
Students demonstrate their understanding of a sinusoidal wave by linking to design applications inspired by sinusoidal waveform.
Teacher may share and solicit some design applications inspired by sinusoidal waveform. The examples may share similar physical characteristics or more intrinsic patterns.
[Some answers:
• Henderson wave, Bosjes Chapel (explicit visual waveforms)
• Light installations by Tatsuo Miyajima (subtle waveform pattern)
• Casper bedside lamp to improve sleep (subtle waveform pattern)]
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