Teacher Resources
The Physics Classroom has been devoted to helping students, teachers, and classrooms since the 1990s. We are as passionate about that mission now as we have ever been. If you are a teacher of Physics or Physical Science, we encourage you to use our Video Tutorial with your students. And we also encourage you to consider the use of other resources on our website that coordinate with the video. We have listed a few below to help you get started.
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 wave interference. 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, Waves and Sound: Wave Addition Simulation
For most phenomenon in Physics, students really need to see it to understand it. And a simulation provides a great means for students to not only see it but also to interact with it. This simulation allows students to explore wave interference. Use our freely-downloadable student activity sheet and follow it up with the Concept Checker. When put together - simulation, student activity sheet, and Concept Checker - you have the skeleton of a highly engaging lesson plan.
Physics Interactives, Waves and Sound: Beats Formation
Like wave interference, viewing the formation of beats is a great way to learn about beats. In this simulation, students adjust the frequency of two tuning forks and observe the resulting interference pattern.
YouTube Video on Longitudinal Standing Wave
This 3.5-minute video explores the relationship between frequencies for the various standing wave patterns produced in a spring with longitudinal vibrations. The video was the basis of the demonstration on Slide 5 of the tutorial video.
Concept Builders, Waves and Sound Chapter: Wave Interference
This Concept Builder assesses student understanding of what interference is, of the distinction between constructive and destructive interference, and of how the principle of superposition can be used to determine the shape of the resultant wave (or wave sum) that results from the interference of two waves.
Physics Tutorial, Sound Waves and Music Chapter: Sound Interference
Our video tutorials are motivated by the existing written tutorials on our website. But the written tutorials still provide a great reference when needed. This page correlates with the video and is a good place to send students when they need additional help.