Wave Energy
Wave energy is the power that moves through water, shaking and pushing things in its path.
Drop a stone into a bowl of water. Rings spread out from where the stone landed. Each ring pushes the water up and down as it moves. A cork near the edge bobs as each ring passes under it.
Explaining wave energy by grade level
Drop a rock in a pool. Waves spread out in rings. Those waves push a leaf on the water. Waves carry force from place to place.
Projects that explore wave energy
Wave energy is the power that moves through water, pushing everything in its path. A wave simulator shows this force in action. A sandbag dropped down a ramp sends a wave across a water tank, and you measure how far that energy pushes water across a plywood shore.
Moving water carries energy that can be converted into electricity when it causes objects to move back and forth. In this project, waves rock a floating raft so a magnet swings through a copper coil, turning that wave motion into measurable voltage.