Cymatics: A homemade Experiment

Cymatics: the study of visible sound and vibration Cymatics


Not too long ago my daughter needed to come up with a topic for her school science fair. I had just been reading about cymatics here on ATS, which had led me to numerous videos. It game me an idea. I had my daughter do some research and she found a way to do an experiment at home, that work out perfectly for the science fair. The resulting video we just took yesterday is so cool, that I thought it only right to share it here on ATS, since this was the original source for the idea!

I know there are lots of videos out there of professional set-ups with much more scientific results, but I think what makes this neat, is that it is something easily reproduced right in your own home! Here is the set-up:

A ceramic flower pot (you may already have one in the shed. We didn't have a big enough one so had to buy it. It cost 12$)

One of those big, over-sized balloons that are really thick. (a whole bag of them was 10$)

Some duct tape (we had some cute reindeer tape left over from Christmas)

An amplifier (any kind will do. We used my sons that is for his electric guitar)

An electric keyboard (while this is ideal, you can also get results by causing feedback on the amp, or just putting your down to the drum and humming)

Salt/sugar or other similar product



So cut the end off the balloon (that you blow through), and then stretch the balloon over the top (open end) of the flower pot. I suggest the terra cotta pot because it is strong enough to withstand the pressure, and it vibrates with the sound waves.

Once you have the balloon as taut as possible, tape it in position. (this takes two to three people)

Plug the amp into the keyboard, adjust the gain/treble and set the organ to a sustained note.

Place the pot right in front of the amp, put the salt on top, spread it around and then turn it out. Watch out! Some of the notes can have explosive results!!



OH...you might want some earphones. The notes that you are going for end up being quite loud and hurt a little. Probably not good to expose yourself to it for too long.

I want to note, that what is really making the patterns is based on htz. Since we do not have a meter that can measure this, we simply based on the notes produced under the same condition each time, to prove that you can repeat the pattern; ie, they are not random.


So here is the video! I seriously think this is just the coolest thing. Opens up a whole new world.

My internet's quite slow so I can't see your video at the moment.

Since we're on the subject, as you see in the video below... as the frequency rises past certain thresholds, the shape changes completely.

Now I think consciousness is like this, and I think we could be rising, or falling, in vibration all the time. So I'm thinking, when human consciousness gets past that certain threshold, to create a new shape.. what will it feel/experience like??

www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Cows11


I think that this revelation opens up all sorts of possibilities. I think it ties right into the intricate patterns seen in snowflakes and water molecules.

reply to post by westcoast


Kudos to you for being a great parent! Kids that have this kind of input in their lives grow up to be achievers. Parents everywhere should do this with their kids. It keeps them productive, and finding excitement in their natural world.

reply to post by westcoast


Snowflakes? Great thinking there, Westcoast. It would go a ways to help explain the different patterns of snowflakes, although I wonder what other factors should be included. (temp, humidity, wind?)

Nice going, OP. Thanks for sharing this. Nice piece of family work too.

reply to post by aboutface


Yeah, I noticed what looks like similar patterns in the ice crystals and cymatic patterns. It makes me wonder if it has to do with sound waves hitting the molecules as they are forming. Totally unscientific, but I'm curious if anyone has ever studied it to see if there is a correlation.

reply to post by westcoast
Very cool! Interesting how it often made triangle shapes, or just things in 3's.