Cymatics

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cymatics

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?Subset of modal vibrational phenomena
2. What is the origin of term?Coined by Hans Jenny, from Ancient Greek 'kŷma' (wave)
3. How do sound waves create patterns on a surface?When a surface vibrates at a certain frequency, it has spots that move a lot (antinodes) and spots that hardly move (nodes). Particles move away from the moving spots and gather along the still spots, forming shapes.
4. Who first studied these sound patterns?Swiss scientist Hans Jenny did detailed experiments in the mid‑20th century, and earlier German scientist Ernst Chladni also studied sand patterns on vibrating plates.

Modal Vibrational Phenomena: The study of the characteristic ways an object vibrates when disturbed.
Chladni Figures: Geometric patterns formed by particles on a vibrating surface.
Nodes: Lines or points on a vibrating surface where there is no movement.
Antinodes: Lines or points on a vibrating surface where movement is maximal.