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How to use a candle to study sound waves
written by
Paulo Carvalho, Marcelo Rodrigues, Carla Pereira, Margarida Ataíde, and Edite Briosa
The paper "How to use a candle to study sound waves" makes use of video recording at 220 frames/s, and video analysis with Tracker to "see" the effect of air particles in motion and to conclude that infrasound waves, just like audible sound waves, are periodic. One can observe that the air particles' displacement is longitudinal, and therefore conclude that sound is a longitudinal wave. This paper also shows the inverse relationship concerning the amplitude of the flame's displacement and the distance between the flame and the loudspeaker. The experimental setup can be used to explore sound waves in a classroom in an original and engaging way.
Last Modified September 23, 2013
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Candle Sound Wave TRZ
The Candle Sound Wave Tracker archive with a *.trk data file and a video clip. Open this zip file from within Tracker.
Last Modified April 27, 2023
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Candle Study Video