The Rubens’ tube was invented by German physicist Heinrich Rubens in 1905. It is a tube that is sealed at both ends and includes a flammable gas like propane. A speaker is attached to one end of the tube so sound waves can be transmitted through the air/gas mixture. Small holes are drilled in the top of the tube and when the air/gas mixture emerges it creates a flame. As sound is played standing waves are created in the flames that change as the frequency of the waves is changed. It’s just another way of showing the wonders of sound. The Guinness record for longest Rubens tube was achieved in 2019, when science show Kvark built a 10 meter Rubens tube at Saku Suurhall. The other intriguing method of making sound visible is the science of cymatics, which after many years revealed the mystery of the cubes at Rosslyn Chapel.
