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Physics Classroom is making strides to make our site accessible to everyone. 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. The Primary Navigation handles the first 2 levels of site pages. The Secondary (which is not always available) handles the 3rd and 4th level of structure. The Page level navigation allows you to navigate the current page's headings quickly. The Header Navigation contains the Light/Dark Mode toggle, Search, Notifications and account login. The Breadcrumb Navigation contains the breadcrumb of the current page. If the current page has a breadcrumb, you can get to it by skipping to the content and tabbing in reverse (shift plus tab). The Footer Navigation contains links such as Privacy, Contact, about and terms. Some resources contain an Audio Player that can be activated by holding down the T key for 3 seconds, and then using K to pause and resume. 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.

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Wave Basics - Directions

Using the Wave Basics Concept Builder is quite simple. There are three different activities. Each activity has its own unique set of tasks to complete. In the first activity - Two Truths and a Lie - you are presented with three statements about wave motion. Two of the statements are true and one of them is a false statement. You must identify the false statement. You do so by tapping on the statement. Tapping on the statement will select it; a grey box surrounds the statement and a Check Answer button appears. If you change your mind, you can tap on the statement a second time to deselect it or tap on a different statement. Once you are satisfied with your answer, tap on the Check Answer button. Your answers will be evaluated and your Progress Report will be updated.

In the second activity - Matching Pairs - you are presented with 8 terms which you must match according to their meaning. To do so, tap on two terms that mean the same thing to highlight the table cell that the term is located in. If two (and only two) terms are highlighted, a Check Match button is displayed on the right side of the window. If you change your mind, you can tap on the cell a second time to deselect it. When you are satisfied with your answer, tap on the Check Match button. Your pairing will be checked and your progress will be updated and displayed on the right side of the window. Once you successfully match two terms, they are no longer available for subsequent matching. If you mis-match two terms, then you will have to start over. Each time you start over, the terms are re-randomized and appear in a different location in the table and you must begin with 0 matches. This will force you to concentrate on the successful matches that you have already made so that you match them successfully again if you have to start over. Once you successfully match all terms, you will be rewarded the trophy for Matching Pairs.

In the third activity - Wave Anatomy - you are presented with a diagram of a wave and you must identify some part or measurement of the wave. Each of the six questions are different so follow the on-screen directions carefully. All questions can be answered by tapping on an answer field. When you do, you will toggle through the potential answers. Once you have toggled through all possible choices, you will begin from the beginning and toggle through the selections a second time. Four of the questions have four different answer boxes for which you must select an answer. When all answers are selected, a Check Answer button is displayed at the bottom of the window. If you are satisfied with your answers, tap on the Check Answer button. Your answers will be evaluated and your Progress Report will be updated.


Your goal is to earn "Stars" and to complete one or more activities. Stars are earned when you show success on a particular question. Once you show success on all the questions for a particular activity, you will earn the Trophy for that activity.

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