physics

Sound & Music

The physics of sound — harmonics, waveforms, resonance, and the mathematical patterns that make music beautiful.

soundmusicacousticsharmonicswaveformsresonancefrequencytimbre

Sound is vibration, and music is organized vibration. Behind every chord, every melody, every instrument timbre lies a mathematical structure of frequencies, harmonics, and interference patterns. The octave is a 2:1 frequency ratio. A major chord is 4:5:6. The dissonance of a tritone arises from its irrational frequency ratio.

These simulations explore the physics of sound and music. Visualize how different waveforms produce different timbres, understand the harmonic series that defines every instrument, explore the mathematics of musical intervals and tuning systems, and see resonance amplify vibrations to dramatic effect.

5 interactive simulations

simulator

Chladni Patterns (Vibrating Plates)

Visualize the beautiful geometric patterns that form on vibrating plates — sand settles along nodal lines revealing the mathematics of standing waves in 2D.

simulator

Harmonic Series & Timbre

Visualize how harmonics combine to create timbre — watch individual overtones stack into complex waveforms that define every instrument's unique sound.

simulator

Musical Intervals & Consonance

Explore why some note combinations sound harmonious and others clash — visualize the waveform interference that creates consonance and dissonance.

simulator

Resonance & Natural Frequency

Drive an oscillator at different frequencies and watch amplitude explode at resonance — explore how damping controls the sharpness of the resonance peak.

simulator

Waveform Synthesis

Generate and visualize classic waveforms — sine, square, sawtooth, triangle — with amplitude modulation and real-time spectral analysis.