From Meiji-Era Models to Cutting-Edge Apps! Unraveling the Nature of Waves Through the Dance of Bees (Transverse Waves, Longitudinal Waves & Superposition)
I am Ken Kuwako, your Science Trainer. To me, every day is an experiment.
Waves are everywhere. We see them in the ocean, hear them as sound, and perceive them as light. Yet, despite being surrounded by them, waves are incredibly mysterious. It looks like something is moving forward, but in reality, the medium—the substance the wave travels through—is often just oscillating in place. It can be quite a challenge to visualize what is actually happening.
Today, let’s explore the fascinating history of wave visualization, from clever mechanical models of the Meiji era to modern digital simulations.
Lessons in Visualization: The Goldstein Wave Model
Take a look at this: the Goldstein Wave Model, once exhibited at the National Museum of Nature and Science. This sophisticated mechanical device was designed to make the invisible movement of waves visible to the naked eye.
By turning the handle on the side, a spiral mechanism inside rotates. This causes a row of vertical rods tipped with small spheres to move up and down at slightly different times. The result? A beautiful wave that appears to travel to the right.
The secret lies in “staggering the timing,” which is the fundamental concept of phase in physics. While I couldn’t operate this specific museum piece, it’s mind-blowing to think it was manufactured in the late Meiji period (late 19th to early 20th century). Teachers back then were already coming up with ingenious ways to help students grasp the hidden rhythms of nature.
The Digital Frontier: Visualizing Waves with Bees
Fast forward to today, and computers allow us to visualize waves with even more freedom. I’ve created some digital teaching tools using Scratch that use “bees” to illustrate the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves.
Transverse Waves: The “Honeybee” Dance
First up is the transverse wave—the classic “wavy” shape we all know.
Look closely at the individual bees. They aren’t traveling to the right at all; they are simply oscillating up and down. However, because each bee starts its motion just a fraction of a second after its neighbor, a wave pattern appears to sweep across the screen.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/205914073/
Longitudinal Waves: Understanding Compression and Rarefaction
Next, we have longitudinal waves (or compression waves), which is how sound travels.
Longitudinal waves are notoriously hard to visualize because the medium vibrates in the same direction that the wave travels. To make this clearer, I programmed the bees to face right when they shift to the right, and left when they shift to the left.
When you hit the stop button, the physics becomes obvious. You’ll see areas where the bees are huddled together (compression) and areas where they are spread far apart (rarefaction). I also included a feature that maps these longitudinal movements onto a transverse wave graph, making complex physics much easier to digest.
Seeing is Believing: The Wonders of Wave Mechanics
Beyond simulations, observing real-world phenomena is key. Waves have incredible properties, like reflection (bouncing off surfaces) and interference (overlapping with each other). Check out these experiment videos to dive deeper.
Free-End Reflection
Watch how a wave behaves when it hits a boundary that is free to move. https://youtu.be/PjfNwQiXrjk
Fixed-End Reflection
When a wave hits a wall it is firmly attached to, it flips upside down. https://youtu.be/Vdk-My4_aZE
The Principle of Superposition
A fascinating phenomenon where two waves collide and either cancel each other out or grow into a larger wave. https://youtu.be/16X2tVT2zhY
Longitudinal vs. Transverse
Using a Slinky to compare the two types of wave motion in real life. https://youtu.be/y0PSI0Dn-PI
Longitudinal Waves and Oscilloscopes
Visualizing invisible sound waves as waveforms on a screen. https://youtu.be/pysBwMsaxXc
Beats
That “wah-wah” pulsing sound you hear when two notes of slightly different frequencies overlap. https://youtu.be/KhiAsiwuDAQ
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