sub-systems
Chladni Plate Demo
Max 4 makes bright light by wiggling electrons at high energies. The energy of the electron beam at Max IV is 3 billion Volts. How do we get to such high energies into the electron beam? Well, we do it a little at a time by resonantly storing energy with electro-magnetic waves.
Because we cannot see electro-magnetic waves, this all seems very complicated. But sound waves behave very similar to electric waves and we can hear or “see” sound waves. One way to visualize sound waves is to use a Chladni plate. By vibrating metal plates at specific frequencies or tones, one can excite vibration resonances.
There will be places on the metal plate where the reflected waves add up and other places where the reflected waves cancel each other. One can see these patterns by sprinkling sand over the metal plate. Sand particles will be kicked away from the places where the reflected waves add up; and gather at the places where the reflected waves cancel.
By exciting the plates at different sound frequencies, one can excite different modes. since the metal plate is 2 dimensional, complicated and beautiful modes can be observed.