The Flaming Oscilloscope: The Physics of Rubens' Flame Tube

The flame tube, first described in 1905 by Heinrich Rubens and Otto Krigar-Menzel as a novel acoustics teaching apparatus, is a mesmerizing thing to behold. It is at once an early analogue to the oscilloscope, illustrating the nature of sound waves, and an alluring manipulation of fire that appeals to the pyromaniac in all of us.I had a chance to play with a flame tube over the holidays and had great fun blasting Wagner down the length of the tube and watching the row of flames dance in unison. ...