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Chladni Plate Cymatics (2D)

Interactive 2D Chladni-plate cymatics simulator: dial in a drive frequency and amplitude and watch scattered sand settle onto the nodal lines of the plate's resonant standing-wave mode.

Physics & Mechanics2DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This 2D top-down simulator reproduces classic Chladni figures: a square plate driven at an adjustable frequency locks into whichever standing-wave mode (n, m) resonates closest to that frequency, and thousands of sand grains scattered across the surface migrate away from the vibrating antinodes toward the plate's stationary nodal lines, tracing out the mode's characteristic pattern. Sweep the frequency slider to jump between modes, raise the drive amplitude to see the sand jitter more violently before it settles, and rescatter the grains at any time to watch a fresh pattern emerge from the same physics real acoustic-resonance experiments use.

⚙ Under the hood

Drive a square plate at an adjustable frequency and watch scattered sand migrate off the vibrating antinodes onto the plate's resonant nodal lines, tracing out a classic Chladni figure.

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install