Here I am bowing a Cymatics plate made of steel. It is painted with black enamel and I sprinkle table salt on the surface before playing it with a violin bow. This is one of the oldest methods for creating cymatics patterns; Ernst Chladni used this technique in 1787 in pretty much exactly the same way I am here.
The plate vibrates showing the actual shape of the sound being played. As you can see, every time I shift the bow slightly or change anything about the way I play it, the shape of the sound, and the pattern the salt makes changes as well. The size and shape (and thickness) of the plate are all variable factors, so there are infinite possibilities for variation.
I am now working on my first set of 15 steel Cymatics “paintings” using salt on untreated steel. More photos and videos of that to follow (sign up for my cymatics mailing list above if you want to be notified when I have photos of my new cymatics work up for viewing).
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I am currently in a forensics class. To add to your growing body of literature if you type in bone histology/osteon you will see these little circular shapes. They remind me of the shapes of some of the images of cymatics you show.
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Jodina Meehan Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
K- thanks for the intriguing hint, I will check it out. I love finding avenues for cymatics connections I’ve never encountered before!
–Jodina
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Chandresh Woodhoo Reply:
May 23rd, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Hi, Jodina, My team and I are attemting to build a cymatics sounder for our school competiton, so thaks a lot for the emails…
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quick questions:
what is the plate made out of and what is the frequency(exact hz), not the note, being played?
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Jodina Meehan Reply:
March 25th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Hi Rene,
The plate is 1/8″ steel, but I don’t know the frequency of the sound made. Sorry about that! There are ways to record the frequency, especially if you are using electronic means to create the sound; but in this case I am just playing around with the bow on the plate and not recording anything scientifically. Thanks for your question. Are you trying to answer a specific question about the pattern created in the video?
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Victor Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Hi Jodina, Me and my team are trying to make a cymatics experiment but we dont know exactly how its done, can you explain a little bit how it is done please?
I mean does it always has to be steel? or should it be black everytime? Why?
Cause we tried with sand and a piece of paper but nothing happened.
Thank you
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FYI
Regarding the frequency…
There is free online software to both analyze and record the plate vibrations. Audio recording applications are fairly straight-ahead to locate. Software to determine the frequency and amplitude can be found by searching for Real Time Analyzer (RTA) or Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) applications. There are free, shareware, trial, and paid apps available… ones for the iPhone as well.
Have fun with it,
Rob
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Jodina Meehan Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Thanks Rob, that’s very helpful. I will look into it!
- Jodina
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steel plate with enamel inst easily available. i dont even know where to get it from. i just want materials that is easily and cheaply availabe caz i have a science fair coming up this week and i only want to do this cymatic experiment and my moms telling i cant do this experiment caz its materials arent availabe and r costly. i will surely win first or 2nd prize for it if i do it. could u please help me. could u tell me where to get steel plate coated with enamel or tell another easily available plate.
please. thanks
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Jodina Meehan Reply:
February 2nd, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Hi – Yes it isn’t easy to get a plate to use for cymatics. But…don’t give up!
If you want, you can do an easier version by using these free instructions for a cymatic device with your voice, you can get everything from a hardware store if you follow the instructions: http://www.cymaticsounder.com
If you still want to try for a metal plate, here is what I would do: Go to Home Depot or a hardware/lumber store and ask them for pieces of sheet metal about 12″X12″ (the size can vary if it’s not too big.) Then get one that is from 1/16 – 1/8th thick, and ask them to drill a hole in the exact center that will fit a bolt about 5/8″. Then bolt the plate on top of a post of some kind. You will need to have a violin bow though, and those are about $30 for a cheap one. So you will end up paying at least $50 for the setup and it may not work (I don’t want to discourage you but it can take some time to get it working).
Your best bet would probably be to do the simple PVC-and-voice one in the instructions at that link, then combine that example with something you write about cymatics (using everything you can find online, try Wikipedia) and also you could show some cymatics videos if you have a computer available. Hope it works out, let me know if you need more help!
- Jodina
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Hey!Love your tips! But is there a possible replacement for the plate?( As in Improvised)
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Jodina Meehan Reply:
October 15th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Hi, thanks for writing. Yes – if I understand your question right, there is
a different (easier) way to experiment with cymatics, no metal needed.
If you’ve become a member of the Journal (by signing up on the little
box that you see pop up) you should have gotten some free instructions
for it actually – a cymatic sounder made with PVC and balloon material.
If you haven’t signed up yet, please do and those directions should pop
right into your inbox. If they don’t let me know!
-Jodina
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Vivek Joshy Reply:
October 16th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
I did recieve the instructions!But they don’t seem as appealing!The wine glass experiments worked but don’t seem to be accurate!You see, I’m from Kerala,India;And people over here don’t appreciate what I and You do unless the items presented are accurate abd top class!But also need to cut down on my expenses from my last exhibits related to momentum in my Ghost Gun experiments!
P.S:I’m on the edge!Please help me with some suggestions when and if you have time!
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