The qualitative effect of a major disturbance such as an earthquake or a hurricane or, on a lesser scale, a powerboat moving along the edge of a bay, harbor, or lake, can be observed in a partially filled wineglass. We simulate this small-scale disturbance and do a quantitative analysis to explain how a resonance can occur on the liquid surface in the wineglass. An explanation is also given why such circumstances can occur in scaled-up situations such as bays, rivers, and harbors.

1.
J.
Miles
, “
On forced capillary-gravity waves in a circular basin
,”
Wave Motion
23
,
387
391
(
1996
).
2.
M. C.
Shen
and
N. S.
Yeh
, “
Exact solution for forced capillary-gravity waves in a circular basin under Hocking’s edge condition
,”
Wave Motion
26
(
2
),
117
126
(
1997
).
3.
G. H.
Koopmann
and
A. D.
Belegundu
, “
Tuning a wine glass via material tailoring
,”
J. Sound Vib.
239
(
4
),
665
678
(
2001
).
4.
K. D.
Skeldon
,
V. J.
Nadeau
, and
C.
Adams
, “
The resonant excitation of a wineglass using positive feedback with optical sensing
,”
Am. J. Phys.
66
(
10
),
851
860
(
1998
).
5.
D.
Rossing
, “
Acoustics of the glass harmonica
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
95
(
2
),
1106
1111
(
1994
).
6.
A. P.
French
, “
In vino veritas: A study in wineglass acoustics
,”
Am. J. Phys.
51
(
8
),
688
694
(
1982
).
7.
R. E.
Apfel
, “
‘Whispering waves’ in a wineglass
,”
Am. J. Phys.
53
(
11
),
1070
1073
(
1985
).
8.
M.
Faraday
, “
On a peculiar class of acoustical figures
,”
Philos. Mag.
XVII
,
299
340
(
1831
), paragraph 121.
9.
J.
Walker
, “
The amateur scientist: Edge waves form a spokelike pattern when vibrations are set up in a liquid
,”
Sci. Am.
251
(
6
),
130
139
(
1984
).
10.
E. L.
Voges
, “
Free surface waves in a cylinder with a vibrating lateral side
,” doctoral thesis,
Tshwane University of Technology
, South Africa (
2006
), Sec. 6.7. A pdf file of the thesis is available on request from joubertsv@tut.ac.za.
11.
G.
Bryan
, “
On the beats in the vibrations of a revolving cylinder or bell
,”
Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. Math. Phys. Sci.
7
,
101
114
(
1890
).
12.
D. R.
Bland
,
Wave Theory and Applications
(
Clarendon
, Oxford,
1988
), pp.
95
97
.
13.
W. E.
Boyce
and
R. C.
DiPrima
,
Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems
, 5th ed. (
Wiley
, New York,
1992
), pp.
186
308
603
618
.
14.
J.
Lighthill
,
Waves in Fluids
(
Cambridge U. P.
, Cambridge,
1978
), p.
226
.
15.
T. H.
Fay
and
S. V.
Joubert
, “
Dimensional analysis: An elegant technique for facilitating the teaching of mathematical modeling
,”
Int. J. Math. Edu. Sci. Tech.
33
(
2
),
280
293
(
2002
).
16.
D. G.
Duffy
,
Transform Methods for Solving Partial Differential Equations
, 2nd ed. (
Chapman & Hall/CRC
, New York,
2004
), p.
49
.
17.
S.
Wolfram
,
The Mathematica Book
, 3rd ed. (
Wolfram Media/Cambridge U. P.
, New York,
1996
).
18.
M. R.
Spiegel
,
Theoretical Mechanics
(
McGraw-Hill
, New York,
1967
), pp.
89
100
.
AAPT members receive access to the American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.