Here are the top 10 Most Amazing facts about cymatics, a little known but fascinating field of study spanning art, science and medicine. Most people know cymatics as some beautiful geometric patterns made with sound waves. But there is more to cymatics than meets the eye; read the facts below to get a glimpse into the wonderful world of cymatics!
1. Cymatics lets us “see sound” as a visible pattern.
2. Cymatics may prove that sound is not a wave but a bubble.
3. Cymatics is used to help deaf people learn how to speak.
4. Cymatic symbols appear to have been embedded inside a chapel in Scotland in order to record music secretly.
5. Cymatics when played on metal actually shows the stillness within the sound; but when played into water cymatics shows the sound itself.
6. Cymatics is currently being used to record and decode the language of dolphins.
7. Cymatics plates almost identical to today’s were played for astonished victorian audiences by Ernst Chaldini, the “father of acoustics,” in the 1700’s.
8. Cymatics has been shown to make matter “defy gravity” – for example, if you tip a plate sideways with liquid on it, the matter will fall downward; but if sound is applied to the plate, the liquid will actually climb back up the plate to keep it’s cymatic form in defiance of gravity.
9. Cymatics has been used by violin makers for years to help build better violins: they look at the geometric patterns created by particles inside of the violin to help perfect the shape while the instrument is being carved.
And last but not least…
10. Cymatics can be used to see the geometric patterns of your voice at home using table salt and a simple device made out of 3 things you can get at the hardware store. You can get free instructions for how to make this device below.
