Luka Luketic 7a 1/27/2011
How does a wave travel in liquids with different densities, and does that affect speed and wavelength?
II.HYPOTHESIS: The denser the liquid the slower the process of energy will take place. I have reason to believe so because from previous experiments we have found that the denser liquids move slower and that a moving object cannot travel through them with equal speed as in a low density liquid.
III. Exploration (Materials) :
Small water tub
a bucket ,
a ruler
a marker
Water
Oil
soap mixed with water
and some peach juice
Also for extra help using a camera that can film slow motion would help with measurements.
And lastly a metronome will tell you when to tap the marker
(Procedure) 1: Fill the bucket with water
2: Then pour the water into the larger tub
3: Place the ruler side ways so that you can record the wave length
4: At this point you can start recording with the camera (optional)
5: Using a marker make waves at the same speed in each liquid.
Be careful not to tap the bottom of the tub because that can cause waves to travel in a different way then they are supposed to
6: After each wave passes record its wave length and the time it took the wave to travel from one end of the tub to the other
IV. RECORD & ANALYZE
During the actual experiment I observed that the low density liquids allowed the energy to travel through them at a higher speed then the high density ones. Also the waves in the higher density liquids had a larger wave length and a lower frequency. I believe that this is so because a wave is the transfer of energy through a medium, and if you have a dense liquid not allowing the wave to transfer the energy at the speed and frequency it usually would.
C. Analysis of Data:
During the experiment I observed that speed and wavelength are always related. Because the denser liquids (soap water and oil) had a longer wavelength then the other liquids. While on the other hand the low density liquids had a slightly shorter wavelength but the difference in speed was a lot larger.
I believe that my data is very accurate because I did my experiment twice to insure that my results are accurate and both of the times I had the same conclusion, the only difference was the speed due to the fact that I cannot replicate the exact fore with which I tapped the marker the first time.
Conclusion: Even though this was very hard experiment and lab report I enjoyed it because I used technology to help me in my research. Also I experienced many difficulties, some of the hardest to deal with were; fixing my camera after I tried to install a custom slow motion filming program I damaged the software and then had to fix it. I also had to think of a way to hold my camera on top of the small tub without it shaking. After completing the initial experiment I watched a Myth busters episode in which they also had a test of the impact of density on speed. At the end of the show they redid their test just that this time they made some changes to make it work 100 percent. So I did the same I redid my experiment except that this time I used a wind up toy soldier that turns his hand, I used this soldier to create a equal disturbance in the liquid.
How does a wave travel in liquids with different densities, and does that affect speed and wavelength?
II.HYPOTHESIS: The denser the liquid the slower the process of energy will take place. I have reason to believe so because from previous experiments we have found that the denser liquids move slower and that a moving object cannot travel through them with equal speed as in a low density liquid.
III. Exploration (Materials) :
Small water tub
a bucket ,
a ruler
a marker
Water
Oil
soap mixed with water
and some peach juice
Also for extra help using a camera that can film slow motion would help with measurements.
And lastly a metronome will tell you when to tap the marker
(Procedure) 1: Fill the bucket with water
2: Then pour the water into the larger tub
3: Place the ruler side ways so that you can record the wave length
4: At this point you can start recording with the camera (optional)
5: Using a marker make waves at the same speed in each liquid.
Be careful not to tap the bottom of the tub because that can cause waves to travel in a different way then they are supposed to
6: After each wave passes record its wave length and the time it took the wave to travel from one end of the tub to the other
IV. RECORD & ANALYZE
During the actual experiment I observed that the low density liquids allowed the energy to travel through them at a higher speed then the high density ones. Also the waves in the higher density liquids had a larger wave length and a lower frequency. I believe that this is so because a wave is the transfer of energy through a medium, and if you have a dense liquid not allowing the wave to transfer the energy at the speed and frequency it usually would.
| Name of liquid | Speed of wave | Wavelength |
| Water | 18.75 centimeters per second | 1centimeter |
| Ice tea | 16.6 centimeters per second | 1.2 centimeters |
| Sun flower seed oil | 12 centimeters per second | 1.7 centimeters |
| Soap water | 13.03 Centimeters per second | 1.5 centimeters |
C. Analysis of Data:
During the experiment I observed that speed and wavelength are always related. Because the denser liquids (soap water and oil) had a longer wavelength then the other liquids. While on the other hand the low density liquids had a slightly shorter wavelength but the difference in speed was a lot larger.
I believe that my data is very accurate because I did my experiment twice to insure that my results are accurate and both of the times I had the same conclusion, the only difference was the speed due to the fact that I cannot replicate the exact fore with which I tapped the marker the first time.
Conclusion: Even though this was very hard experiment and lab report I enjoyed it because I used technology to help me in my research. Also I experienced many difficulties, some of the hardest to deal with were; fixing my camera after I tried to install a custom slow motion filming program I damaged the software and then had to fix it. I also had to think of a way to hold my camera on top of the small tub without it shaking. After completing the initial experiment I watched a Myth busters episode in which they also had a test of the impact of density on speed. At the end of the show they redid their test just that this time they made some changes to make it work 100 percent. So I did the same I redid my experiment except that this time I used a wind up toy soldier that turns his hand, I used this soldier to create a equal disturbance in the liquid.
Very interesting investigation and method Luka. The data seemed very accurate and I like how you incorporated a variety of technology to complete it. One thing I would have liked to see is the video or images of your setup. Good conclusion and data analysis with evidence and data used for support. Good job!
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