Ripple Tank
date: label: Date made
content: late 1950s
name: label: maker
content: Physical Science Study Committee
notes: label: Description
content: The ripple tank demonstrated a variety of wave phenomena, and was the best known device created by the Physical Sciences Study Committee (PSSC). It was introduced in the late 1950s and remained essentially unchanged for 50 years. In this example, the tank is made of glass with wooden sides and 4 aluminum legs. A support rod, V-shaped base, and clamps hold the high power lamp. Two wooden square rods serve as straight wave generators; each is equipped with a small motor. There are, in addition, several yellow ball wave generators and several foam rubber baffles.
label: Description
content: The light source consists of a 150-watt glass lamp mounted in a well-ventilated flat black shield. Its box is marked: The Science Source®. This firm was established in Waldoboro, Maine, in 1986. It is still in business and still selling light sources of this sort. See http://thesciencesource.com
label: Description
content: References: PSSC, "Physics Laboratory Guide" (1960), pp. 26-33 (photos and diagrams of several ripple tank set-ups).
label: Description
content: Central Scientific Company, "Educational Catalog" (1974), p. 48 (for ripple tank).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Cambridge
topic: label: Subject
content: Science & Scientific Instruments
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Sputnik
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Uri Haber-Schaim
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2007.0043.05
label: catalog number
content: 2007.0043.05
label: accession number
content: 2007.0043
objectType: label: Object Name
content: ripple tank
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (sides material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (tank material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (legs material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 22 1/2 in x 22 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in; 57.15 cm x 57.15 cm x 6.35 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; ripple tank: 2 1/2 in x 22 1/2 in x 22 1/2 in; 6.35 cm x 57.15 cm x 57.15 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; lamp box: 4 7/8 in x 12 7/8 in x 9 1/2 in; 12.3825 cm x 32.7025 cm x 24.13 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; tray with parts: 2 3/4 in x 14 1/2 in x 24 1/8 in; 6.985 cm x 36.83 cm x 61.2775 cm