Abstract
SOME years ago, H. N. Holmes showed that a silicic acid jelly could be prepared which gives a musical tone on tapping. It is perhaps worth putting on record that the same phenomenon can be exhibited by a soap jelly, as Mr. P. van Campen happened to discover in this laboratory. A bottle had been nearly filled with ordinary soft soap and set aside. After a few months it turned out that a clear jelly had been formed. On tapping the bottle gently, it gave a very low but distinctly audible tone. It is particularly noteworthy that, whereas the silicic acid jelly is rather stiff and brittle, the soap jelly is very soft, and yields to a slight pressure of the finger.
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BUCHNER, E. A Vibrating Soap Jelly. Nature 120, 367 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/120367a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/120367a0
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