The disk is held by the handle or wheel and spun with the free hand. Looking through the gaps in the wheel as it spins creates a stop-frame or strobe effect, effectively producing a stop motion effect. If the wheel is spun at the correct frequency waves can be seen to freeze in motion, making interference and reflections easier to spot.

Ripple tanks have largely been superseded by commercial software using computer animations of waves as these tend to be clearer to see in a demonstration environment. In their heyday, class sets of strobe wheels were used in many schools.