Wave Interference

Sound, water and light waves interact with barriers in curious ways, but it is difficult or even impossible to visualize these effects. However, you can rely on a computer simulation to better understand these phenomena.

Wave Interference is a Java-based program that simulates the behavior of waves and their interaction with obstacles. It is easy to configure and can prove to be a very useful teaching tool.

The program simulates a dripping faucet in order to generate waves. You can change both their frequency and amplitude, as well as add a second faucet and fine-tune their spacing.

You can insert a barrier with one or two slits to see how the water waves will interact with it. The barrier’s location, the width of the slits and even their separation are customizable.

The second simulation works similarly, but it generates sound instead of water waves. You can still customize their frequency and amplitude, as well as add barriers, but they work more or less the same.

The final simulation deals with light waves, and it is a bit different. You can select the desired wavelength and see how the light would appear once it reaches a screen. It is even possible to add a mirror in any location and customize its dimensions.

Overall, this program is a relatively simple simulation that can prove very helpful when trying to explain various concepts. It can make it easier to understand how water, sound and light waves travel and interact with barriers via an accessible visual simulation.

There are a number of tools you can use for analysis, such as detectors, stopwatches and a measuring tape. You can configure the simulation in seconds, just make sure Java is installed on your computer.