Interviews with students suggest that even though they understand the formalism and the formal
nature of quantum theory, they still often desire a mental picture of what the equations describe
and some tangible experience with the wavefunctions. Here we discuss a mechanical wave system
capable of reproducing correctly a mechanical equivalent of a quantum system in a potential, and the
resulting waveforms in principle of any form. We have successfully reproduced the finite potential
well, the potential barrier and the parabolic potential. We believe that these mechanical waveforms
can provide a valuable experience base for introductory students to start from. We aim to show that
mechanical systems that are described with the same mathematics as quantum mechanical, indeed behave
in the same way. We believe that even if treated purely as a wave phenomenon, the system provides
much insight into wave mechanics. This can be especially useful for physics teachers and others who
often ne…