Science is Fun Fridays!

 

Cymatics is the science of visible sound, discovered by Robert Hooke in 1680.  The term wasn't coined until 1967 though, by Hans Jenny in his book Cymatics: The Study of Wave Phenomena.

But it is Ernst Chladni who is credited as the father of acoustics.  He invented the technique to study the motions of vibrating plates in 1787.  Starting with a metal plate, you sprinkle some sand, and then strike a violin bow.  This would produce characteristic patterns, and Chladni was able to produce a formula that successfully predicted the patterns found on the plate.

Experiments now include other means of tone making.

Chladni's patterns have long been used by violin makers to test the resonance.