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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The resonance frequency is the frequency that an object will resonate at based on its own structure, what material it’s made out of, how much stress it’s under, etc.
If we take a glass and tap it, it makes a ringing noise. That ringing is the same frequency as the resonance frequency.
If we take the glass ans tap is repeatedly faster than the resonance frequency, the natural resonance will be fighting us most of the time we add energy by tapping it because it will be vibrating the opposite way we are hitting it.
The same goes for if we hit it repeatedly below its resonance, most of the time we hit it, we will be fighting the resonance.
If we hit it repeatedly at the same speed as it’s resonance, we will always be hitting it at the same place in the oscillation cycle, so we will always be adding energy to the system. As energy grows, so does amplitude (how far it oscillates) until it exceeds its own material strength, and breaks.
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