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Cymatics is the study of wave phenomena. It is typically associated with the physical patterns produced through the interaction of sound waves in a medium. (See list of wave topics.)

The term cymatics was coined by the Swiss scientist Hans Jenny, it is derived from the Greek "kyma" ("κύμα") meaning "wave", and "ta kymatica" ("τα κυματικά") meaning "matters pertaining to waves."

Cymatics was explored by Jenny in his book by that title in 1967. Inspired by systems theory, the work of Ernst Chladni, and his medical practice, Jenny began an investigation of periodic phenomena but especially the visual display of sound. He used standing waves, piezoelectric amplifiers, and other methods and materials.

A simple experiment demonstrating the visualisation of cymatics can be done by sprinkling sand on a metal plate and vibrating the plate, for example by drawing a violin bow along the edge, the sand will then form itself into standing wave patterns such as simple concentric circles.

One of Jenny's more complex experiments include a spherical vibrating water droplet containing fine particles, these particles then formed into a 3-Dimensional star (or dual) tetrahedron shape with surrounding circles as shown below.

The higher the frequencies, the more complex the shapes produced, with certain shapes having similarities to traditional mandalas and crop circle designs.

Jenny's book influenced Alvin Lucier and, along with Chladni, helped lead to Lucier's composition Queen of the South. Jenny's work was also followed up by Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) founder Gyorgy Kepes at MIT. [1] His work in this area included an acoustically vibrated piece of sheet metal in which small holes had been drilled in a grid. Small flames of gas burned through these holes and thermodynamic patterns were made visible by this setup.

Jenny's term was later adopted by some Holistic healing practitioners, who believe that sound waves transmitted through the human body can normalize imbalances and synchronize the cells' frequencies back to their natural, healthy state of vibrational resonance. Where Jenny's original work was based on methodologies that were repeatable by others, these holistic claims are not evidence-based medicine and have not been conclusively demonstrated through clinical trials.

Based on work done in this field, photographer Alexander Lauterwasser captures imagery of water surfaces set into motion by sound sources ranging from pure sine waves to music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Karlheinz Stockhausen and even overtone singing.

• DIY Cymatics
• http://www.cymaticsource.com/
• Mystical Sun - a music group that has produced some cymatic-based music