Posted
on August 16, 2015
Today
we celebrate the Father of Cymatics.
Perhaps
you are unfamiliar with cymatics. I read one definition of it that I
liked: it is the study of “visual sound.”
Born
in Switzerland on this date in 1904, Hans Jenny studied and took
photos of the effects of sound vibrations on fluids, powders, and
liquid paste.
He
wrote, “This is not an unregulated chaos; it is a dynamic but
ordered pattern.”
 |
| Can you believe the complex patterns created by sound on water? So beautiful! |
Of
course, sound waves have been studied for centuries before Jenny
lived. For example, Ernst Chladni studied the symmetrical forms
created when plates covered with sand are set to vibrating with a
violin bow – and he did it way back in the 1700s. Actually, at
least a thousand years ago some tribes in Africa began “reading”
the patterns of small grains on drumheads to foretell the future. Of
course, the patterns didn't actually foretell the future, but it
shows us that people have known about and enjoyed the patterns made
by small particles on a vibrating surface for a long, long time.
Jenny's
invention, the “tonoscope,” had a resonating chamber, a sort of
membrane or drumhead on top of the chamber, and some way of
introducing sound into the chamber. I read that Jenny was the first
to suggest that this sort of device could someday help deaf people
learn to speak.
- Watch this cool video to enjoy the patterns of visual sound on sand, water, fire, electricity - it's amazing!
- And here is a simple way to build your own tonoscope!
- Finally, check out these cool images of paint responding to sound waves!
Also
on this date:
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