How to Use This Simulation
Tab 1 — Wave Behavior Review: Read each scenario and identify which wave behavior (reflection, refraction, diffraction, or absorption) is described. Get instant feedback after each answer.
Tab 2 — Material Matcher: Click each wave type on the EM spectrum to explore how it interacts with different materials. Find all 6 wave types to complete this section.
Tab 3 — System Designer: Work through 5 engineering steps to design a wave-based communication system. Apply everything you know from Weeks 1 & 2.
Key concept: Wavelength determines how a wave interacts with materials. Longer wavelengths (radio/WiFi) diffract through gaps; shorter wavelengths (light) get absorbed or scattered.
Wave Behavior Review
Read each scenario and identify the correct wave behavior. Click your answer to get instant feedback, then advance to the next scenario.
Material Matcher
Click each wave type on the EM spectrum to learn how it interacts with different materials. Find all 6 wave types to complete this section!
👈 Click a wave type on the spectrum to learn how it interacts with materials
Each wave type has a unique wavelength that determines how it behaves when it meets different materials.
Communication System Designer
Apply everything you know! Work through this 5-step engineering challenge to design a wave-based communication system. These are the kinds of problems you’ll see on the assessment.
Predict → Observe → Explain
Predict
Before working through each tab, predict: which wave types do you think pass through walls? Which material interactions are you least sure about? Write your predictions and reasoning.
Observe
Work through the simulation and note what you observe — which answers surprised you? What patterns appear in how wavelength determines material interactions? Record specific wavelength values and behaviors.
Explain
Compare your predictions to what you observed. Use vocabulary from the assessment (wavelength, diffraction, transmission, absorption, binary, modulation) to explain WHY wavelength determines wave-material interactions.
Key Concepts Reference
🌈 Wave Properties
- Wavelength (λ) — distance between peaks
- Frequency (f) — cycles per second (Hz)
- λ × f = c (speed of light, ~3×10⁸ m/s)
- Longer λ = lower f = lower energy
🔘 EM Spectrum (Low → High Energy)
- Radio (~1 m) → WiFi (~12 cm)
- Infrared (~1000 nm) → Visible (~500 nm)
- UV (~10 nm) → X-ray/Gamma (~0.01 nm)
- All travel at speed of light in vacuum
🧰 Material Interactions
- Transmission — wave passes through
- Reflection — wave bounces back
- Absorption — energy converts to heat
- Metals reflect radio (free electrons)
📡 Information Encoding
- Binary — 8-4-2-1 place values
- 1010 → 8+0+2+0 = 10
- AM — varies amplitude to encode
- FM — varies frequency to encode
Record Your Observations
As you explore Wave Transmission Designer — G8.C5.W3, record what you notice:
- Starting conditions: What are the initial settings?
- Changes: What happens when you adjust the variables?
- Patterns: Do you notice any patterns or relationships?
- Evidence: What specific data supports your observations?
Data Journal — Record & Analyze Your Experiments
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