I’ve heard this term a lot as a musician. I’m aware that by finding an objects resonant frequency and playing that frequency it will break or smash, for example when singers break wine glasses with their voice, or the whole Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation thing. What is an object’s natural resonant frequency, how is it determined, and what happens to an object when you play it that makes things smash or break? Thanks!!
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A swing is a good analogy. The wine glass would be the swing and the sound you play would be you pushing the swing.
If you time your pushes just right, then the swing will always keep going higher and higher. Eventually you will go over the top of the swing.
The timing of your pushes which will make the swing always go higher and higher would be the resonant frequency. With the wine glass, the sound at the resonant frequency makes the glass vibrate too much (over the top) so it cracks or shatters.
You can probably vibrate jello at it’s natural frequency and it won’t break apart. Glass breaks because it’s not flexible.
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