Resonance is a phenomenon that is both familiar and somewhat mysterious. It takes place when a system is excited near its natural frequency. In this case, we’re seeing a mechanical resonance that’s driven by sound waves near the glass’s natural frequency. Once excited, the glass vibrates by flexing side-to-side along one axis and then again in a perpendicular direction. Eventually, the amplitude of this flexing is large enough to break the glass. When the glass is filled with water, its flexing instead generates a cloud of tiny droplets in a process known as vibration-induced atomization. The inverse problem — an empty glass resonating within a pool of liquid — is also an extremely cool problem. (Image and video credit: The Slow Mo Guys)
Shattering With Resonance
