Who wouldโve thought that a day in the pool could be a teaching moment?
A viral video went around of a dad and his kids went swimming in an inflatable pool. And as we all know, backyard pools donโt really offer much in amenities but this father knew how to make it more enjoyable.
His method is pretty simple. That is, of course, if you listened carefully in your physics class.
The video starts with the caption โSimple resonance harmonic motionโ.
Some of us would already have a big question mark over our heads just by reading that. Then, the dad steps into the inflatable pool to join his kids.
He then asked one of the boys to lend him a water skiing board. One of them lends him the board and he waddles toward the center of the pool.
Then, he pressed the skiing board down into the pool.
At this point, we might be racking more questions than answers. What is the father doing and what is its relation to the videoโs title?
He pressed the board down into the water โ same spot, same timing. Then, the whole thing starts to make sense when you notice the sides of the pool begin to wobble. It expands, then contracts over and over.
Slowly but surely, the water in the middle of the pool begins to burst up.
Then, as it falls back into the pool, the โwaveโ splashes out toward the edge. It would then ebb back to the center and start the whole process again.
The more it repeats this push and pull, the torrent in the middle and the edges get bigger and higher. Soon enough their father needed to jump with the waves.
When the wave system managed to sustain itself, their father stepped away to allow one of the kids to ride the torrent.
And just like that, with the power of science, their father made a wave pool.
This phenomenon is called constructive wave interference. To make it easier, just imagine two waves stacking on top of another to make a bigger wave.
Itโs almost the same principle when youโre jumping on a trampoline. Sooner or later, the wobbling spring sheet will build up more โwavesโ that will help you jump higher and higher each time.
Itโs also the same idea when you stand in front of two speakers with the same frequency. The audio sounds much louder even if the two speakers have the same volume.
This simple experiment can help you teach kids a bit about physics and the nature of water.
Who knows, this might inspire them to pursue a career in science or maybe a career in sports like surfing. Whicheverโs the case, we knew that these kids had a lot of fun with that crazy torrent.
Who said learning canโt be fun? As summer rages on, take this time to find fun activities with kids while you guys are spending a lot of time in the water.
Watch how this father teaches his kids about waves using an inflatable pool.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
