| 1) | Group six or seven students in each of two groups, P wave and S wave. |
| 2) | Students in each group will stand one behind another to form a column. |
| 3) | Each student will put both arms on the shoulder of the person in front. |
| 4) | The students standing on one end of the columns will pose as the epicentre. |
| 5) | In the column of P wave, starting from one end, the student of the epicentre will push once lightly the student standing next in line. When the next student feels the push, he/she will then push the next student in line. This motion will continue until the push arrives at the other end. |
| 6) | In the column of S wave, starting from one end, the student of the epicentre will shift the shoulder from left to right once without moving the feet. As soon as the person in front feels the shift, he/she will shift once. This motion will continue until the shift arrives at the other end. |
| 7) |
The students at the end of the columns will raise a hand once he/she feels the motion. |
| 8) | The rest of the students will observe which end of the column will detect the motion from the epicentre. |
The
P wave (primary wave) travels faster than the S wave (secondary wave). The students should
discuss which end of columns would detect the motion first based on this fact.
This
activity could also be performed as a lab with each group timing the duration of
the motion of each wave.
You are now ready to do some math on seismic waves.
Back to Earthquake Math Trail Home