3D Water Surface
Watch sound waves ripple across a 3D water surface. Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.
Audio Source
Volume
70%Controls
- Drag to rotate view
- Scroll to zoom in/out
- Wave patterns respond to frequency
How to use the 3D water surface
Water is one of the easiest places to see sound. Put a dish of water on a speaker and the surface breaks into rings, ripples and grids that change with the pitch. Hans Jenny, who coined the word "cymatics" in the 1960s, photographed exactly these kinds of patterns in liquids.
This tool shows the same idea as a live 3D surface. Sound drives waves across the water, and you can rotate and zoom to see how peaks, troughs and still points form.
Quick start
- Press Start on the tone generator, or allow microphone access to use live sound.
- Change the frequency with the slider or presets and watch the wavelength on the surface get shorter as the pitch goes up.
- Drag on the surface to rotate the camera and scroll (or pinch) to zoom in on the interference pattern.
What you are seeing: standing waves
When waves travel across a container and reflect off its edges, the outgoing and returning waves overlap. At certain frequencies they line up so that some points move up and down strongly (antinodes) while others stay almost still (nodes). This is a standing wave, and it is the same principle that creates Chladni figures on a plate.
Frequency, wavelength and interference
Higher frequencies produce shorter waves, so the pattern becomes finer. When waves from different directions meet, they add together where crests meet crests and cancel where a crest meets a trough. This interference is what turns simple ripples into grids, rings and star shapes.
Real water also has surface tension and depth effects, which is why experiments with liquids can form surprisingly sharp geometric shapes. The visualizer uses a simplified wave model so you can focus on how frequency and interference shape the surface.
Frequently asked questions
Why do sound waves make patterns in water?
Vibration from the sound source creates waves on the surface. Waves reflecting from the edges overlap and form standing waves, which appear as stable geometric patterns.
Do I need a powerful computer?
No. The water surface uses WebGL and runs on most laptops and recent phones. Closing other heavy tabs helps on older devices.
Can I try this experiment at home?
Yes. Place a shallow dish of water on or near a speaker, play a sine tone between about 20 and 100 Hz, and shine a light at an angle to see the ripples clearly.