Physics · Study 020
Plucked Strings
Fourteen simulated strings, each a small wave equation, ring and decay when your pointer crosses them. Strum the canvas like a harp.
What you're looking at
Every string is ninety points tied to their neighbours. A pluck pushes a small bump into the string, and the wave equation splits it into two pulses that run to the fixed ends, flip, and return. Thicker strings near the top carry waves more slowly, the same reason bass strings are heavy.
The idea behind it
A plucked string sounds musical because only waves that fit a whole number of half wavelengths between the ends survive. Everything else cancels within a few reflections, leaving the fundamental and its harmonics. You can watch that filtering happen as a sharp pluck smooths into a clean arc.
Try this
Sweep the pointer up and down across the strings. Faster sweeps pluck harder.
