Dripping Water Turned into Standing Waves

In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens' educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

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May 2nd, 2012 10

Facebook user Brusspup performed a simple, but interesting, experiment. Passing a tube of water across the front of a loudspeaker yields a standing wave when tuned to a 24 hz sound wave. Then when switched to 23 hz, it appears that the water droplets are actually traveling backwards through the tube they just came out of. A camera recording at a standard 24 fps is playing tricks with the eye when the frequency of the sine wave is very similar.