Space Soundwaves Experiments with ZZ Top Aboard the International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates water oscillations on a speaker in microgravity, and ZZ Top rocks the boat 250 miles above Earth. Answer the challenge question at www.physicscentral.com/sots for a chance to win a prize and have your name read from space!

Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videog...

• Category

  Science & Technology

[RiderOfGar]

My answer to the challenge question would be that attenuation of sound in water is higher for higher frequencies (in other words, the water more easily absorbs high frequencies.) Thus the alternative is lower frequencies. This is also why (I assume) they use low frequencies to probe the ocean. This is all related to Stokes Law but I haven't taken any of that in Uni yet so I'm not 100% sure.

Great video! - Nate from Canada

[EdithMildred]

i never wonder what would happen if he played dubstep, at all.

[tubeshok]

needs more cow bell

[Dingle Bert]

my left ear enjoyed most of the part where he presented the speakers

[DjRonTesler]

Well, I believe that the answer to the question has nothing to do with physics. it's simply because the camera shoots at the frequency of 24 frames per second. any frequency higher than that won't be properly caught on tape.

[IntegralMoon]

Perhaps I'm being too simplistic. Assuming that the speed of sound in water is constant, it would be logical to say that lower frequencies would produce longer wavelengths.

As the frequency of the sound increases, the wavelength of the disturbance would decrease beyond the point of visibility. This would happen because the surface tension of the water would act as a dampening force which would 'smooth' out the shape of the wave on the surface of the water.

[globaljunglist]

At any point lower frequencies have typically greater amplitudes, causing disruptive jiggling, while higher frequencies may just create finer patterns.

Cymatics is cool, if you are interested in wave physics I suggest you take the free Physics III course offered by MIT online!

[globaljunglist]

Yes this is true, but it's such a tiny droplet of water that high frequencies may not face too much impediment from attenuation. I think you're on the right track, though it may have more to do with simple harmonic oscillation: X=XzedCosine(OmegaT+Phi)

[projectid4]

My answer to the challenge question would be that the lower frequencies have more displacement than the higher frequencies.

[tantoedge]

We have Got to get these boys a bigger budget.

[fireskul98]

wow

[UnwindUK]

hopefully the station's equipment is watertight