waves

‘Wave’ is a common term for a number of different ways in which energy is transferred:

Seeing, hearing, feeling warmth, surfing, tuning the radio, using a cellphone – these and many more activities involve waves. But...

What is a wave? Most of us think of the waves we see at the beach. The waves come in...

Explore the impact that the huge Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption in January 2022 has had on volcanologists theories on volcanoes. The article below has been republished...

In January 2022 the world was shocked to hear of a sudden huge volcanic eruption close to Tonga, causing a tsunami and volcanic ash to cover...

This article provides an overview of sound. It gives a brief summary of the following topics: characteristics of sound waves how the human ear works hearing...

When two or more sound waves occupy the same space, they affect one another. This is known as sound wave interference. Sound waves combine by simple...

Sound waves are longitudinal or compression waves that transmit sound energy from the source of the sound to an observer. Sound waves are typically drawn as...

A full-sized acoustic piano is able to play 88 distinct notes. When you press a key on the piano, a number of things happen inside the...

Sound is a form of energy that is caused by the vibration of matter. Sound is transmitted through waves, which travel through solids, liquids and gases....

A standing wave is the combination of two waves that are moving in opposite directions. Standing waves are typically formed in situations where a wave is...

The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) is a network of public research organisations who collaborate to commercialise science to grow the New Zealand economy. Commercialising science can...

In a wave, the material on which the wave is travelling is moving. However, the material itself does not move along with the wave. Consider the...

An inquiry approach is a method often used in science education. The question bank provides an initial list of questions about monitoring our environment using artificial...

Monitoring our world using artificial sensors Artificial sensors enable us to overcome the limitations of our human senses and extend them in novel and useful ways,...

Travel under the waves to the reefs of New Zealand to explore sound and noise – what sound is, how it travels, what changes under water...

This #TeachMeetNZ science session was broadcast live on 10 November 2015. There was a fantastic line-up of New Zealand educators sharing their science teaching experiences as...

Water can exist as a solid (ice), liquid (water) or gas (vapour or gas). Adding heat can cause ice (a solid) to melt to form water...

Water seems to be everywhere in New Zealand. Oceans surround us. There are hundreds of lakes and rivers. Some South Island regions get more than 10...

Use these Material World resources for NZ Curriculum levels 1 and 2 to explore the characteristics of solids, liquids, gases and bubbles by observing water and...

Who needs coffee in the morning when you can just shine an orange light in your eyes? A team of European scientists has shown that exposure...

For more than a decade, major earthquakes around the world have been interfering with our Earth-bound global positioning system (GPS) sites. A 2013 study by Australian,...

Refraction is the bending of light (it also happens with sound, water and other waves) as it passes from one transparent substance into another. This bending...

The human eye is a sense organ adapted to allow vision by reacting to light. The cornea and the crystalline lens are both important for the...

Reflection is when light bounces off an object. If the surface is smooth and shiny, like glass, water or polished metal, the light will reflect at...

This article introduces common student alternative conceptions about light based on education research. It is important that teachers are aware of these during a sequence of...