Choosing a Wave Display for Talus Trail

A Display for a Trail Rest Alcove

Volunteers are designing a wave display for a rest alcove beside Talus Trail, a mountain walking route. Visitors will watch waves pass a bright foam marker in a clear trough. Before building the display, the team tests four paddle plans in a smaller trough on a steady table.

The highest part of a wave is a crest. The lowest part is a trough. Wave height is the vertical distance from a trough to a crest. Wave spacing is the distance along the water from one crest to the next crest. Both measurements describe the repeating wave pattern.

An adult operates the paddle. For each trial, the team starts with still water and puts the same marker beside the same starting mark. They keep the trough and water depth the same. The paddle motion changes with the plan. The team measures wave height, crest spacing, and the marker's lowest-to-highest movement during four passing waves. The table gives typical measurements from three trials of each plan.

The team also watches Plan B closely. A crest travels from the paddle toward the far end. The marker rises and falls but remains near its starting mark after four waves. In a separate check, the paddle stays still for the same length of time.