Chladni Plate Resonance

A metal plate vibrates at a shifting frequency, and sand-like particles migrate to the nodal lines, self-organizing into evolving Chladni patterns. This is a real 18th-century acoustics experiment: when a flat plate is driven into resonance, its surface splits into regions moving up and down out of phase, separated by motionless "nodal lines." Loose grains bounce off the vibrating antinodes and drift toward those quiet lines, where they settle and trace out intricate, symmetric geometric patterns unique to each resonant mode. As the driving frequency shifts here, watch the sand abandon one pattern and gradually migrate to trace the next — a beautiful visualization of standing waves and cymatics, the study of visible sound.

Plate Controls

Vibration amplitude Mode cycle speed Sand color Warm Sand Salt White Cyan Powder Rose Dust Pause Next Mode