Student groups create working radios by soldering circuit components supplied from AM radio kits. By carrying out this activity in conjunction with its associated lesson concerning circuits and how AM radios work, students are able to identify each circuit component they are soldering, as well as how their placement causes the radio to work. Besides reinforcing lesson concepts, students also learn how to solder, which is an activity that many engineers perform regularly giving students a chance to be able to engage in a real-life engineering activity.

Students investigate the motion of a simple pendulum through direct observation and data collection using Android® devices. First, student groups create pendulums that hang from the classroom ceiling, using Android smartphones or tablets as the bobs, taking advantage of their built-in accelerometers. With the Android devices loaded with the (provided) AccelDataCapture app, groups explore the periodic motion of the pendulums, changing variables (amplitude, mass, length) to see what happens, by visual observation and via the app-generated graphs. Then teams conduct formal experiments to alter one variable while keeping all other parameters constant, performing numerous trials, identifying independent/dependent variables, collecting data and using the simple pendulum equation. Through these experiments, students investigate how pendulums move and the changing forces they experience, better understanding the relationship between a pendulum's motion and its amplitude, length and mass. They analyze the data, either on paper or by importing into a spreadsheet application. As an extension, students may also develop their own algorithms in a provided App Inventor framework in order to automatically note the time of each period.

This Florida State University page includes an interactive java tutorial that explores the relationship between frequency, wavelength, and energy, and enables the visitor to adjust the intensity of the radiation and to set the wave into motion. There is also a discussion on electromagnetic waves that accompany the tutorial.

This lesson introduces the concepts of wavelength and amplitude in transverse waves. In the associated activity, students will use ropes and their bodies to investigate different wavelengths and amplitudes.

This interactive lesson engages students in noticing the shape of (transverse) waves and learning how to describe and measure the amplitude and wavelength of waves.

Join Tarissa and Sabrina as they measure and compare the volume of different sounds across New York City in this video from DragonflyTV.

In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab, investigate frequency in terms of trampoline jumps, pendulum swings, and electromagnetic waves.

Use the Sound Grapher to create visualizations of sound and learn about the frequency, wavelength, amplitude and velocity of sound waves.

An interactive graph provides a demonstration to show how the measure of an angle is related to the sine and cosine waves. Topics covered include amplitude and period. Examples allow students to practice the concepts.

The tutorial investigates period and frequency by examining the shapes of the sine and cosine functions. The resource consists of definitions, animations, interactive graphs, and examples. Practice problems with solutions are included.

After watching a 1940 film clip of the "Galloping Gertie" bridge collapse and a teacher demo with a simple pendulum, student groups discuss and then research the idea of motion that repeats itself specifically the concepts of periodic and harmonic motion. They become aware of where and how these types of motion occur and affect them in everyday applications, both natural (seasons, tides, waves) and engineered (swings, clocks, mechanical systems). They learn the basic properties of this type of motion (period, amplitude, frequency) and how the rearrangement of the simple pendulum equation can be used to solve for gravitational acceleration, pendulum length and gravity. At lesson end, students are ready to conduct the associated activity during which they conduct experiments that utilize swinging Android® devices as pendulums.

Visit with Andres during fiesta time at Paracho Michoacan, Mexico's "guitar town". As Andres shows in this video segment from ZOOM, guitar music goes beyond simple sound vibrations. [2:55]

Here is a site that clearly and thoroughly explains how to graph each of the six trigonometric functions and determine the period, amplitude, phase shift, and vertical shift of each. There are example problems solved, problems for the student to attempt, and answers to the student problems. Point this site out to students who have been absent or who need additional instruction on this or many other topics.

Students learn the physical properties of sound, how it travels and how noise impacts human health—including the quality of student learning. They learn different techniques that engineers use in industry to monitor noise level exposure and then put their knowledge to work by using a smart phone noise meter app to measure the noise level at an area of interest, such as busy roadways near the school. They devise an experimental procedure to measure sound levels in their classroom, at the source of loud noise (such as a busy road or construction site), and in between. Teams collect data using smart phones/tablets, microphones and noise apps. They calculate wave properties, including frequency, wavelength and amplitude. A PowerPoint® presentation, three worksheets and a quiz are provided.

How do we use radiation in our lives, and is it safe for humans? How do we use radiation in our lives, and is it safe for humans? This unit begins with a news article about the unconventional use of microwave ovens to store electronics. Students are motivated to test the behavior of a Bluetooth speaker playing music from a device inside the oven when it is not running. They also test what happens when it runs and heats up food. This phenomenon sets the stage for exploring wave behavior, the interactions of matter with electromagnetic radiation, and how we can use these interactions in different technologies to digitize, store and transfer information. ​​Throughout the unit, students use simulations to model field interactions and energy transfer through electromagnetic radiation. They conduct investigations using the microwave oven to explore how different materials interact with microwave radiation, and how the structure of this device affects energy transfer. Students explain how the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic radiation affects its interactions with matter and evaluate the wave and photon models of electromagnetic radiation. Students obtain and communicate information about the uses of electromagnetic radiation, its safety, and methods of protection. They apply these ideas in a culminating task to evaluate whether 5G technology is safe.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

An interactive simulation that teaches about oscillators, normal modes, and polarization by varying the number of masses and initial conditions to determine their effect on 1D or 2D systems of coupled mass-spring oscillators. This simulation can either be downloaded or played online and includes handouts, lesson plans, and additional materials.

An interactive simulation that teaches about resonance, harmonic motion, and oscillator by observing varying frequencies and amplitudes, damping constants, and the mass and spring constant to determine the effect on resonance. This simulation can either be downloaded or played online and includes handouts, lesson plans, and additional materials.

Explore the wonderful world of waves! Observe a string vibrate in slow motion. Wiggle the end of the string and make waves, or adjust the frequency and amplitude of an oscillator.

Students can observe the properties of a wave with different variables. Students can experiment with the type of end, damping factor, and tension in the string. Possible teacher lesson plans are included at the bottom of the page.

An interactive simulation that teaches about waves, frequency, and amplitude by observing the waves and vibrations of a string while changing variables like distance, speed, fixed or unfixed ends, and more. This simulation can either be downloaded or played online and includes handouts, lesson plans, and additional materials.