Wonder Wednesday – Rubens’ Tube
I am very easily entertained, but every once in a while I come across something fantastic that I just have to share. In physics we like to talk about waves and a fascinating way to use sine and cosine waves known as a Fourier transform. We use these mathematical descriptions to understand things like vibrating strings, pipes in a pipe organ, and even more complicated things. It turns out that understanding vibrations is key to many issues including keeping buildings from falling down during earth quakes. However, when my physics training gets in touch with my inner redneck, I tend to find that I’m partial to explosions and anything that involves LOTS AND LOTS OF FIRE!!
This video is both entertaining and instructive for understanding vibrations in a tube (called a Rubens’ Tube):
Then I got lost on YouTube for a while and came across several more. This one shows the nodes really well:
And this is what physicists do when nobody is watching (or when they think you might be watching on YouTube!):
This is the one that started it all. This one shows vibrations in a 2D Rubens’ Tube
Curiously though, after all that fire, my inner artist found this one quite soothing and beautiful:
I just love physics!
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