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M o d e l   N o .   W A - 9 8 9 7

  S e t u p

3

Ripple Tank Assembly

The ripple tank assembly has an impact resistant plastic frame. 
Below the front edge of the frame is a strip of Velcro® ‘hook’ 
material that will hold the ‘loop’ material on the top edge of the 
projector screen. Below the back edge of the frame are three 
pegs that fit into the holes in the top edge of the reflector. The 
threaded hole on the top side of the back edge is for the rod that 
can support the Light Source that is included in the WA-9896 
Ripple Generator and Light Source. When the ripple tank is in 
use, the four foam ‘beaches’ dampen the waves that would oth-
erwise reflect and disturb the primary wave and interference 
patterns. The foam beaches are replaceable. (A variety of 
replacement parts are available in the WA-9898 Ripple Tank 
Replacement Set.)

The ripple tank’s drain pipe is a piece of flexible vinyl tubing 
attached below the drain hole at the back corner of the tank. Squeeze the sides ot the tube clamp on the 
drain pipe to tighten the clamp on the tubing. Pull downward on the lip of the tube clamp to loosen the 
clamp. 

Setup

To setup the ripple tank, screw the legs into the threaded holes on the underside near the two front corners 
of the tank, and under the midpoint of the back edge. Place the ripple tank on a smooth, level surface. 

To attach the reflector and projection screen to the tank, unfold the screen assembly and put the reflector 
between the two front legs. Angle the reflector upwards and guide the top edge so that the three holes fit 
over the pegs that are at the back edge of the tank. Next, raise the projection screen to the vertical position 
and attach its Velcro® ‘loop’ material to the strip of ‘hook’ material under the front edge of the tank. 

Apply Surfactant 

Before putting water into the ripple tank for the first time, prepare the foam 

beaches, barriers, and refractors with a drop of surfactant (a nonionic wetting agent). The surfactant helps to 
avoid problems with the surface tension of the water. Put a single drop of surfactant from the small plastic 
bottle onto the end of one finger, and lightly rub your finger along the foam beaches. Use a single drop of 
surfactant to very sparingly coat the large flat surfaces of the three refractors and the front surfaces of the 
straight and curved barriers. Note that you only need to apply surfactant to the beaches, barriers, and refrac-
tors before using the ripple tank for the first time, or if the equipment has been unused for a long time.

Level the Ripple Tank 

When you are ready to add water to the tank, squeeze the sides of the tube 

clamp to close the clamp. Use the beaker to add a small amount of water to the middle of the tank so that the 
water forms a circle about 10 cm in diameter. Adjust the feet on the legs until the circle of water stays in the 
middle of the tank and does not move toward any side. (An alternate method for leveling the tank is to add 
about 800 milliliters of water to the tank. Measure the water depth at three of the four corners of the tank and 
adjust the feet on the legs until the depths are the same.)

Dampen the Foam Beaches

To reduce the problem of surface tension, let the foam beaches soak 

up some of the water. After putting about 800 milliliters of water in the tank, press down on the foam and 
then release the pressure so that water enters the pores of the foam rubber.

Cleanup

Before emptying the tank, remove the projection screen and reflector. Fold the screen assembly so the pro-
jection screen protects the reflector.

Drain hole

Threaded hole

Pegs

Strip of Velcro® ‘hook’ 
material (not shown)

Squeeze 
to tighten

Pull to 
loosen

Summary of Contents for WA-9897

Page 1: ...y to use drain pipe consisting of a piece of flexible vinyl plastic tubing and a tube clamp The tank is supported by three detachable legs with adjustable feet and comes with a reflector and projectio...

Page 2: ...lastic There are three holes along the top edge of the reflector and two strips of Vel cro loop material along the top edge of the projection screen Description Part Number 1 Ruler 699 081 2 Pipette 5...

Page 3: ...the front edge of the tank Apply Surfactant Before putting water into the ripple tank for the first time prepare the foam beaches barriers and refractors with a drop of surfactant a nonionic wetting a...

Page 4: ...a description of the product warranty see the PASCO catalog Copyright The PASCO scientific 012 10034B Ripple Tank Instruction Sheet is copyrighted with all rights reserved Permission is granted to no...

Page 5: ...ification Emergency Overview Color Clear Physical State Liquid Odor Mild Hazards of product No significant immediate hazards for emergency response are known OSHA Hazard Communication Standard This pr...

Page 6: ...res Keep people away Isolate fire and deny unnecessary entry Use water spray to cool fire exposed containers and fire affected zone until fire is out and danger of reignition has passed Fight fire fro...

Page 7: ...ths 15 35 C 8 Exposure Controls Personal Protection Exposure Limits None established Personal Protection Eye Face Protection Use safety glasses Skin Protection No precautions other than clean body cov...

Page 8: ...Strong acids Strong bases Strong oxidizers Hazardous Polymerization Will not occur Thermal Decomposition Decomposition products depend upon temperature air supply and the presence of other materials D...

Page 9: ...of information resources to help identify waste management companies and other facilities which recycle reprocess or manage chemicals or plastics and that manage used drums Telephone Dow s Customer In...

Page 10: ...ene oxide 75 21 8 10 0 PPM Propylene oxide 75 56 9 10 0 PPM 1 4 Dioxane 123 91 1 5 0 PPM Acetaldehyde 75 07 0 5 0 PPM Formaldehyde 50 00 0 5 0 PPM California Proposition 65 Safe Drinking Water and Tox...

Page 11: ...ient of this M SDS to study it carefully and consult appropriate expertise as necessary or appropriate to become aware of and understand the data contained in this M SDS and any hazards associated wit...

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