Physics Classroom is making strides to make our site accessible to
everyone, and features many accessibility features.
Our site contains 6 navigation areas. The Primary, Secondary,
and Page Level navigations have a screen reader version of their nav
structure that allows using the left and right keys to navigate sibling
navigation items, and up or down keys to navigate parent or child
navigation items. The others can be navigated using tabs.
Within the main content, we leverage headers to provide in page or
in tool navigation.
Although we are still rebuilding our content to leverage these tools,
our images should have both short and verbose descriptions, the later
describing in great detail the image for those who cannot see. Any
formulas found within the images are often in the image figure below the image.
Equations and formulas are rendered using MathJax, which has both verbal,
braille (including nemath braille), and keyboard navigation within them.
Learn how to configure and leverage this for various screen readers on our
Equation Navigation Page.
While not every area of
Physics Classroom is usable purely from keyboard and screen reader, we
are committed to continue work on making this possible. If you have
questions or need additional help, please use
this link to
contact us
.
What is a standing wave? How is it different than a traveling wave? And why and how does a standing wave form? Join Mr. H for some clear talk on the physics of standing waves. In 8 minutes of time, you'll understand this topic more than you ever thought you could.
The video lesson answers the following questions:
What is the difference between traveling waves and standing waves?
Physics Interactives: Standing Wave Maker
Our interactive simulations allow you to playfully alter a variable and observe the result in the form of an animation. Ask a question and pursue the answer. This one challenges you to find "just the right frequency" to cause a rope to vibrate as a standing wave. Great tool! And follow it up with the Concept Checker (below).
Concept Checkers, Standing Waves
A Concept Checker provides a student with a quick assessment of understanding associated with a resource on our website. This one is intended to accompany the Standing Wave Maker simulation (above). Download the student activity sheet that goes with the simulation; work through the activity and then do the Concept Checker. It's a great way to further your learning.
Curriculum Corner: Wave Motion
Try our Curriculum Corner for a Think Sheet or a whole unit of Think Sheets and get your students thinking about waves. You will find a Think Sheet here on the topic of standing waves. If the video is homework; then these are awesome next day starters. This is free curriculum for the taking. And for a few extra bucks, you can obtain the source documents and purchase a license to place them and any deriviative from them on your course management pages; see the Solutions Guide.
Physics Interactives: Standing Wave Maker
Our interactive simulations allow a student to playfully alter a variable and observe the result in the form of an animation. This one on standing waves challenges students to find "just the right frequency" to cause a rope to vibrate as a standing wave. Using our student activity sheet, they will record data and look for patterns in the data, leading to an equation that relates the frequency of a harmonic to the harmonic number and the frequency of the fundamental. Don't miss the classroom-ready student activity sheet and the accompanying Concept Checker. When put together - simulation, student activity sheet, and Concept Checker - you have the skeleton of a highly engaging lesson plan.
Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.