A ripple tank is used in conjunction with an overhead projector to show wave properties including Huygen's principle, interference, and refraction. The agitator may be configured to generate plane waves or two separately phased circular waves. A variety of objects used for creating barriers, slits, and lenses is available.

Fill a quarter of the container with water and place over an overhead projector screen. Set up the agitator on a rod stand (you may need to counterbalance its weight using another rod with some mass attached to it pointing in the opposite direction). Install the desired shape (point source, two point sources, plane wave, etc.) and connect the agitator to a variable transformer to have control over its frequency. Place the slit or other desire obstacle in the container and turn on, adjusting the frequency as desired.

L3, A0 top

PIRA DCS 3B50.00