Purpose:
To visualize the difference in waves and currents.
Materials:
rope
Procedure:
1. Tie one end of the rope to a chair or some stable object.
2. Hold the other end of the rope in your hand. Move the rope up and down like the motion of waves. (Waves are movement of energy not matter.)
3. The child then pretends he is water and physically moves across the room. (Currents are movements of matter and energy.)
Questions:
1. Does the end of the rope move toward the chair?
2. What happens when the rope moves up and down?
3. Where are you at the beginning of the current and then at the conclusion?