By: Nicole Meyer, Gator Pizer, Miranda Saari, Lilly Price, and Maddy Souza
Intro .:. Method .:. Diagram .:. Materials .:. Results .:. Data .:. Conclusion .:. Related Sources .:. Biblio .:. Go Up
The research project will be centered around the effects a frequency has on the movement of water as it exits a hose and the pattern it creates. This was inspired by a highly publicized video from the media sharing website YouTube titled “Amazing Water & Sound Experiment #2” in early 2013. The video captured the stunning motion by utilizing a camera and adjusting to a certain shutter speed; however, this experiment will incorporate a strobe light to capture the motion instead. The use of the strobe light is inspired by similar experiments done using a weed wacker where the blades of the tool appear to have been slowed down, almost suspended in space, as the light captures the movement quickly.
The reason for doing this experiment is going to be rooted in observing how different frequencies cause the water to behave. If the water frequencies are higher, then the more intricate, not just condense, the water patterns will become when captured using strobe light technology. This is hypothesized because a normal stream of water with no frequency is straight, therefore the higher frequencies are predicted to affect the water and create more complex patterns. The experiment will include a large speaker capable of presenting frequencies clearly, a long hose connected to a spout that is connected to the speaker and hangs slightly lower than the top, and a strobe light by which the motion is captured. The control of this experiment is the steady stream of water. The changing of frequencies will act as the independent variables, and the dependent variables will be the pattern of the water that is captured.
For this project, a large speaker was used to provide frequencies. A stereo was used to produce the frequencies for the speaker. Styrofoam was cut accordingly, and glued onto the speaker. The speaker and wiring was then covered in plastic to protect it from water damage, secured around the open spaces with duct tape. A long hose was attached to the spout of a sink (by a nozzle) and was then elevated and attached to a speaker with electrical tape, hanging slightly lower than the top of it. The speaker had Styrofoam on it to help attach the hose to the speaker, but still allow the speaker and hose to move with the frequencies. In addition, black butcher paper was placed on the wall behind the sink to make the videos easily visible. A strobe light was available to be shone on the water when the room was dark to see the effect of the frequencies on the water. When the lights were off and the sink was on, the strobe light was pointed at the water flow and the stereo was sending frequency to the speaker. This all caused the water to create a pattern. By changing the stereo and/or strobe light frequencies, the pattern of the water would change, making it do numerous different patterns. Each time the frequencies were changed, a video was taken of the water, the frequencies of both the stereo and strobe light were recorded into a data table (see research), and the effect the frequencies were having on the water (pattern) was recorded too.
● Sink (water comes out of the sink faucet)
● Nozzle to attach the faucet of the sink to the hose
● Flexible plastic hose for water to flow through
● Strobe light
● Styrofoam
● Duct tape
● Electrical tape
● Speaker
● Stereo for frequency production
● Black butcher paper (behind the sink)
● Plastic cover (bag worked for this)
● Videocamera
The data collected was restricted to the qualitative characteristics of the water as affected by the different frequencies and waveforms adapted to the the speaker. In doing this, the identifiable units are restricted to Hertz in frequency while uncertainty is best defined in how the adjusting of frequency may not have been exact between each interval. Theoretically the initial frequency for the strobe light that would freeze the image would be found using Frequency Set x 60= Strobe Frequency; however, this did not happen with the Sassy Water experiment, rather it resulted in the water going vertically upwards. The expectation that the higher frequencies would result in more complicated patterns that take on the forms of double helix, running backwards, and freeze-time position. In turn, the water patterns also became more complicated with the application of differing wave forms, and when the speaker was adjusted to be horizontal on the counter instead of elevated in the air vertically.
Video of results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2w-J1gF9_w
|
Frequency (HZ): |
Frequency of Strobe Light (HZ) |
Shape |
Alterations made between frequency changes |
Alterations Made between frequency changes |
|
28 |
1680 |
vertical sine wave going up |
|
|
|
28 |
1084 |
(increased amplitude) making a double helix going down |
|
|
|
28 |
1638 |
shape freezes and period of sine wave increase |
|
|
|
47 |
1397 |
shape freezes. Making sine wave but the period is smaller. |
|
|
|
47 |
9508 |
Making sine wave with the smaller period but it's going in reverse. |
|
|
|
47 |
1397 |
square shaped (instead of sine). Period is small and still frozen |
|
|
|
47 |
1110 |
Creates a double helix (really fast one). period is small. But the sine is short |
|
|
|
27 |
1300 |
Can freeze the square into a double helix shape. The period is longer. |
|
|
|
26 |
1623 |
Creates square stream going in reverse. |
|
Between this and 11, turned stream of water higher for saw tooth one |
|
26 |
1671 |
Saw-tooth form going in reverse. |
|
|
|
26 |
1029 |
Make sawtooth into double helix and freeze the shape |
|
|
|
47 |
1318 |
Saw shape with a small period that's moving downwards at a pretty even pace |
|
|
|
46 |
9641 |
same shape in reverse |
|
|
|
26 |
9180 |
Now it's on it's side so the stream is coming out of tube and making a sine wave than an inch down from exit it becomes double helix. |
Stream goes in between a sine wave and a double helix. |
Flipped it on the side |
|
25 |
1323 |
Making a sine wave but the sine at the beginning the period is really long but as it falls down it gets shorter. |
|
|
|
26 |
1041 |
Making a double helix and it's going in reverse closer to the exit of the pope the amplitude is smaller closer to the end of tube and gets larger |
|
|
|
25 |
1494 |
sine wave smaller to bigger and as it goes down the wave becomes sharp and not circular (shape is frozen) |
|
|
|
34 |
1986 |
sawtoothe wave small period with extremely sharp peaks and is shape frozen |
|
|
|
34 |
2900 |
three strands as visible near end of tube, really short period to look like a sine and cosine wave going simultaneously |
|
|
In conclusion, the results suggest that the frequency of the stereo, strobe light, and the amount of water flowing affects the pattern the water creates. For example, turning the stream of water higher allowed sawtooth patterns to more fully take form. Changing the frequencies of the strobe light allowed patterns to go in reverse and freeze. In addition, the frequencies of the stereo helped create longer wavelengths, which suggest that the velocity of the water changed with the frequency changed.
The hypothesis was correct in the fact that with higher frequencies the patterns and shapes were more complex. The data turned out this way because with a higher frequencies the water moves faster creating the double helix allusion. At forty seven hertz, the constant stream splits into two and moves more steadily. One thing not realized was that when the frequency of the speaker matched the frequency of the strobe light, it didn’t freeze the water stream, which it should have. This may have something to do with uncertainty in the stereo’s frequency and the strobe light’s. This could have happened because the frequency from the machine and strobe light fluctuate even when it wasn’t being touched. At other frequencies, it could be seen that the different frequencies are all able to do the same things, such as creating a double helix shape, or moving backwards and forwards. This is possible because the frequency of the stereo did not change, then the frequency of the strobe light could change, in order for the water to be frozen in a different shape or movement.
Possible errors could be that the water may have come out of the connecting tubes before reaching the opening in the tubing. There could have been technical difficulties with the strobe light and stereo; such as the fluctuation of the frequencies. Also, the styrofoam, although very light, could have changed the movement of the speaker. The nozzle could have also leaked from the sink. Additionally, there could have been unforeseen water damage to the speaker if the plastic bag did not conceal it perfectly. To improve these there could be another way to attach the tube to the speaker, or get one continuous piece of tubing. In addition, the videocamera could be higher quality to capture the effect of the frequencies of the strobe light with better quality. Next time if the velocity of the water is taken, you could calculate the wavelength of the water at certain frequencies and compare them with the actual wavelength of the water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uENITui5_jU - This video was helpful because it gave the idea to use frequencies to create water to move in certain shapes.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/wavrel.html - This website is helpful because it shows the relationship between velocity and frequency.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/anti-shoplifting-device3.htm - Explains in detail how the frequency in a stereo works.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-strobe-lights-work.html - Explains how strobe lights work and how frequencies of a strobe light cause things to freeze or move in weird ways.
http://people.cornellcollege.edu/dsherman/waterdrops.html - Explains how to set up a similar experiment and what happens within the experiment.
Amazing Water & Sound Experiment #2. Dir. Brusspup. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Mar. 2013.
Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uENITui5_jU>.
Limer, Eric. "Geekosystem." Geekosystem Cool Camera Trick Makes Water Appear To Freeze
in MidAir Flow Backwards Comments. Geekosystem, 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.geekosystem.com/water-freezes-flows-backwards/>.
Murray, Chris. "Hitting the Counter." Tuhs Physics. N.p., May-June 2006. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://tuhsphysics.ttsd.k12.or.us/Misc/Demos/StringOnCounter.WMV>.
Olson, Andrew, Ph.D. "Measuring the Speed of Moving Objects with Stroboscopic Photography."
Measuring the Speed of Moving Objects with Stroboscopic Photography. Science Buddies,
07Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Photo_p003.shtml?from
Home>.
Soper, Davison E. "The Relation between Wavelength and Frequency." Wavelength and
Frequency. N.p., 01 Oct. 2007. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
<http://physics.uoregon.edu/~soper/Light/frequency.html>.