Making the simplest wave motion machine at home

Wave motion machines are amazing – watching the waves move in slow motion is fascinating. It’s actually fairly easy to make one at home.

You only need a few things:

• clear container with a tight seal
• water + food coloring (preferably blue)
• transparent oil (buy the cheapest)

Here is my ‘mark 1’ model:

It doesn’t look the best – oil has bubbles in it and you can see the oil surface. It’s too narrow (even when put sideways) so waves die out pretty quickly.

Nevertheless, it’s fun to play with:

Check out How To Build A Wave Motion Machine to make your own.