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How can shaking water create a pattern of waves?

Shake a container of liquid vertically and its surface can form stripes, squares, or other standing-wave patterns. These Faraday waves connect a repeated motion to an organized surface response. The result depends on the liquid and driving conditions, so the pattern is more than a picture of the container moving.

5–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What determines which pattern appears?
  • How does a standing wave differ from a ripple traveling across the surface?

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