Pin 1
This is what sound looks like
A Chladni pattern - sand on a vibrating plate settles where the plate stands still. Every frequency draws a different figure.
Board: Cymatics and Vibration Art · Links to: The Shape of Sound post + cymatics interactive
Pin 2
Why only certain notes fit a string
Standing waves only form where the wave fits the space exactly. Nodes hold still, antinodes swing - the same physics behind resonance in the body.
Board: How Sound Waves Work · Links to: Standing Wave Explorer interactive
Pin 3
The sound changes because the source moves
Wavefronts bunch up ahead of a moving source and stretch out behind it. It is the siren passing you, and it is how we measure blood flow.
Board: How Sound Waves Work · Links to: Ultrasound Physics post (Doppler section)
Pin 4
Two waves, one pattern
Where crests meet crests the wave doubles; where crest meets trough it vanishes. Interference is the ripple tank classic that never stops being satisfying.
Board: How Sound Waves Work · Links to: wave interference generator
Pin 5
Push at the right moment and small forces get huge
Resonance is a swing pushed on time, a bridge shaking itself apart, a wine glass ringing at its note. One idea, everywhere.
Board: Cymatics and Vibration Art · Links to: resonance pattern + Tacoma Narrows story