Rubens' Tube

We create a Rubens\u2019 Tube to demonstrate the movement of sound waves. A tube lined with holes is filled with propane and connected to a speaker. We light the gas coming from the holes and play different frequencies and volumes of sound through the gas inside. This creates waves in the flames. We also play music through the tube to see the patterns that are created.

Physics - Waves - Learning Points.
Standing sound waves can be set up in a tube.

Standing waves are the result of trapping two waves travelling in opposite directions in a tube.

Standing waves are stationary patterns of amplitude with areas of maximum pressure variation (antinodes) and minimum pressure variation (nodes).

Gas flames can indicate variations in pressure and display nodes (minimum variation) and antinodes (maximum variation).

A Twig Experiment Film.
Let students experience real experiments in lab conditions anywhere, from setup, method all the way through to analysis and real-world application.