Mississippi Science PHY.4.3
The Standard
- PHY.4
- Students will investigate and explore wave properties.
Use mathematical and computational analysis to explore wave characteristics (e.g., velocity, period, frequency, amplitude, phase, and wavelength).
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Waves
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read wave graphs to find amplitude, wavelength, period, and phase shifts. They calculate frequency and speed, then use a spreadsheet or simulation to check how the measurements relate.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a distance graph and a time graph, students identify wavelength and period without mixing them up. They calculate frequency and speed and recognize when two waves have the same frequency but different phases.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call the spacing between crests on a time graph wavelength, but it is period. Some think taller waves travel faster or that frequency and period increase together. A shifted crest may look like a new frequency when only the phase has changed.
How to Assess It
- Draw a distance graph with 4 m between crests and a time graph with 0.5 s between crests. Add a second time wave shifted right 0.125 s, then ask students for wavelength, period, frequency, speed, and phase difference.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Move a slinky in steady cycles, mark crest positions with tape, and use phone video to measure wavelength and period.
Show two time graphs with equal crest spacing but different crest heights; ask students which has a higher frequency and why.
Give pairs of wave cards with period and wavelength; have students race to calculate frequency and speed, then check with a spreadsheet.
Play 440 Hz and 880 Hz tones on a phone, then calculate their wavelengths in air using a speed of 343 m/s.
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Printable PHY.4.3 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- PHS.6.1
Use models to analyze and describe examples of mechanical waves’ properties (e.g., wavelength, frequency, speed, amplitude, rarefaction, and compression).
- PHY.4.5
Design, investigate, and collect data on standing waves and waves in specific media (e.g., stretched string, water surface, and air) using online simulations, p...
- PHY.4.4
Investigate and communicate the relationship between the energy of a wave in terms of amplitude and frequency using probe systems, online simulations, and/or la...
- PHY.4.1
Analyze the characteristics and properties of simple harmonic motions, sound, and light.
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