Visualizing SoundOliver FramptonAward: Top 100
School: viewpoint school / photo dept. Cymatics is the study of how sound waves and vibrations can be visualized using liquid or fine, granular materials such as sand, creating unique patterns depending on the amplitude and frequency of the waves. This photo was taken from above, looking down at a bowl of water resting on a Chladni plate, an oscillating sheet of metal that can be controlled using a sine wave generator. The up-down oscillations of the Chladni plate vibrate the liquid, creating ripples on the surface that then reflect off the walls of the container. These reflected waves then interfere with each other, forming standing wave patterns on the surface of the water. The patterns created are wave disturbances where the waves appear to be standing still, simply oscillating up and down at a fixed point instead of moving in any direction. Each fixed point is an antinode, which is where the liquid moves the most, meaning that they are the only parts being illuminated by the blue LED light. This makes them the only visible part of the water's surface. This phenomenon is caused by at least two, in this case, many, waves interfering with one another while traveling in opposite directions, one incident wave stemming from the source, and one reflecting off the wall. These wave interactions demonstrate how vibrations can shape matter, giving us a visual representation of the physics of sound. 
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