Physics Lens

Wavefront

In order to help students visualise a wavefront, a 3-D image is usually used to show the imaginary line joining particles in phase. I created the Geogebra apps below to allow students to change the wavefront and observe it move with time at a constant wave speed. There represent simplified versions of waves on a ripple tank with a linear and circular wavefront.

GeoGebra link: https://www.geogebra.org/m/rbjcszuc

Rotating the first waveform, you can get the displacement-distance profile of a wave, which is basically the cross-section of a 3-D wave.

GeoGebra link: https://www.geogebra.org/m/axdhtccg

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