Exploring wave motion - for iPad/Mac/PC: Recent Episodes
The Open University
What are waves and what happens to them when they pass through a gap? Do different sorts of waves behave in the same way? Dr Andrew Norton of The Open University uses a ripple tank to demonstrate some of the key features of wave motion, and show how waves spread out when they pass through an aperture. Using a laser and a diffraction grating, he shows that light waves spread out in the same way. The album draws on material originally created to support The Open University course Exploring Science.
Transcript -- Andrew Norton uses a ripple tank to demonstrate some basic features of waves.
Andrew Norton demonstrates the effects of changing the driving frequency of the oscillator that's creating the wave.
Transcript -- Andrew Norton demonstrates the effects of changing the driving frequency of the oscillator that's creating the wave.
Transcript -- Andrew Norton shows what happens when waves pass through apertures of different sizes.
Andrew Norton uses lasers to show what happens when light passes through a small aperture.
Transcript -- Andrew Norton uses lasers to show what happens when light passes through a small aperture.
Andrew Norton shows how diffraction gratings produce characteristic sets of light spots.
Transcript -- Andrew Norton shows how diffraction gratings produce characteristic sets of light spots.