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Apr. 17, 2009
Patterns Written By Sound
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Shake a metal plate covered in sand at certain frequencies and mysterious patterns appear. The demonstration, published in 1787 by Ernst Chladni, illustrates a concept known as "fundamental modes of vibration." Jon Jacobsen, a mathematician at Harvey Mudd College, explains why the experiment still captivates scientists and students today.
Wake Forest University Department of Physics, http://www.wfu.edu/physics Sam Eisenberg and Peter Scherpelz/HMC 08, Hendrik Orem/HMC 09, Hyung Joo Park/HMC 08, Patricia Sparks/ HMC Physics, Jon Jacobsen/HMC Math, produced by Flora Lichtman
FEATURED READING
Brilliant Blunders
by Mario Livio
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