A Simple Model for Faraday Waves

Abstract

We show that the linear-stability analysis of the birth of Faraday waves on the surface of a fluid is simplified considerably when the fluid container is driven by a triangle waveform rather than by a sine wave. The calculation is simple enough to use in an undergraduate course on fluid dynamics or nonlinear dynamics. It is also an attractive starting point for a nonlinear analysis.Comment: 8 pages, revtex, with included, embedded eps figs; to appear in Am. J. Phys. (but don't hold your breath