Nodal patterns for irregular plate shapes remain unsolved today.

Evidence

Napoleon aptly summed up Chladni’s accomplishment, stating: “Chladni has made sound visible.” According to Chladni, Napoleon also remarked that the nodal pattern for irregularly shaped plates would be much harder to understand than those of circles, squares, and the like. This is true, and while it had probably occurred to Chladni, it is amazing that Napoleon had this insight. Indeed, scientists and mathematicians are still trying to understand the nodal patterns for certain irregular shapes. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1387

Categorization

Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims

• QUESTION: Which specific irregular shapes remain unsolved, and what is the current state of the mathematics? Worth chasing.

Related

• Napoleon recognized that irregular plate vibration patterns resist mathematical analysis (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• Applied forces in plates generate bending waves rather than pure shear waves #expands (0.72) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 101