Mississippi Science PHY.4.4
The Standard
- PHY.4
- Students will investigate and explore wave properties.
Investigate and communicate the relationship between the energy of a wave in terms of amplitude and frequency using probe systems, online simulations, and/or laboratory experiences.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Waves
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students measure amplitude from the rest position and count how many waves pass a point each second. They change one of those values at a time and explain how it affects energy carried through the same rope.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student keeps rope tension steady and changes either amplitude or frequency. They can predict that increasing either one sends more energy down the rope each second, and say what they held constant.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may measure amplitude from crest to trough instead of from the rest position. They may also think a higher frequency always means a taller wave, or that a wave carrying more energy must travel faster.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Two waves travel along the same rope at the same tension and frequency, but one has twice the amplitude. Which sends more energy down the rope each second? Explain what stayed the same.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Stretch a jump rope between two students and shake it at two heights using the same beat; mark the rope's rest position with tape.
Ask students to write what changes at a taped point when they shake the rope more often but no farther.
Hand out cards showing amplitude and waves per second on one rope; students compare pairs where only one value changes.
Play a tone through a speaker at two volume settings; ask students what changes in the sound wave and whether sound travels faster.
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Printable PHY.4.4 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- PHY.4.3
Use mathematical and computational analysis to explore wave characteristics (e.g., velocity, period, frequency, amplitude, phase, and wavelength).
- P.8.6.4
Use scientific processes to plan and conduct controlled investigations to conclude sound is a wave phenomenon that is characterized by amplitude and frequency.
- 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...
- P.8.6.2
Investigate research-based mechanisms for capturing and converting wave energy (frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and speed) into electrical energy.
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