Home▸Sound & Music▸2D String Physics — Wave Equation & Real FFT Harmonics

〰️ 2D String Physics — Wave Equation & Real FFT Harmonics

Solve the real 1D wave equation for a plucked string with finite differences, then run a real FFT of its motion to see exactly which harmonics survive — and watch pluck position suppress specific overtones, just like a real instrument.

Sound & Music2DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

Details

CategorySound & Music

RenderingCanvas 2D

DifficultyModerate

Target FPS60

ControlsSliders for tension (50-1000 N), linear density (0.0002-0.005 kg/m), length (0.3-2 m), damping (0.990-0.9999) and pluck position (0.05-0.95 of length); Pluck/Reset/Pause buttons; ten quick buttons excite a single pure harmonic (n=1-10) for comparison; click-and-drag on the string plucks it by hand at any point.

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⚙ Under the hood

A real 1D wave-equation finite-difference solver for a plucked string, fixed at both ends, with a live FFT of the string's actual sampled motion revealing which harmonics are genuinely present. Pluck position is adjustable and physically suppresses specific overtones (a node at the pluck point kills that harmonic), tension and linear density set the wave speed, and length sets the harmonic spacing.

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