RE: [Utah-astronomy] Sound waves reported by NASA
I didn't notice in NASA's story, but on NPR last night they actually said the note was a B-flat, albeit 57 octaves lower than the B-flat near middle-C. I find NASA's attempts to dumb-down such findings by relating them to our everyday experiences very annoying. Can anyone relate to a "sound" wave that is 50+ octaves lower than the threshold of human hearing? Why not call the phenomenon what it is (as you have all clarified): a pressure wave. "Sound," "acoustics" and such terms make no sense without an observer, in this case an observer with the ability to hear the sound. If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does the tree exist? Let's see if Mr. Wizard is a conductor...
Hi all I'm just wondering if anyone is having problems with the photo album, and if so please let me know. I've had some isolated reports and would like to know if it's with everyone or only a few. :) Please email me directly at cynweb@cynthiablue.net Thanks! Cyn
Why not call the phenomenon what it is (as you have all clarified): a pressure wave.
I believe that they call it a sound wave due to the fact that there are at least three waves that are roughly the same distance apart, traveling at the same speed. So if you greatly sped up time, the passage of these waves would be analogous to sound waves in our atmosphere.
"Sound," "acoustics" and such terms make no sense without an observer,
I would say that in the physical sense, sound and acoustics still make sense even with no one around to hear them. In the case of acoustics, sound waves generated by a remotely controlled device in a room still interfere constructively and destructively depending upon various factors even without there being an observer within 50 miles.
If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does the tree exist?
I guess that my point is that it depends upon how one defines sound. If, philosophically, one insists upon there being an observer, then there is no sound when a tree falls in the forest if no one is there to hear it. (The tree's existence has nothing to do with there being an observer). :-) However, if one abstracts one's self from such ideas, one can see that there are still sound waves, and thus sound, generated when the tree falls. Greg T. PS a fun fact: This reported "sound" Has a frequency of around. 1.596*10^-15 Hz. That is to say, the time between the passage of one wave and the next is roughly 19,854,825 years.
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This reported "sound" Has a frequency of around. 1.596*10^-15 Hz. That is to say, the time between the passage of one wave and the next is roughly 19,854,825 years. 1 Point goes to Greg ;-)
I had better get my surfboard waxed up, I plan on sticking around for when the first wave boraches this blue planet reef. That would be one heck of a wave. I have waited 10 - 15 minutes between sets before but never 19,854,825 years. Jim James Helsby <cyanics@xmission.com> wrote: This reported "sound" Has a frequency of around. 1.596*10^-15 Hz. That is to say, the time between the passage of one wave and the next is roughly 19,854,825 years. 1 Point goes to Greg ;-)
ATTACHMENT part 2 message/rfc822 From: "Greg Taylor" To: "Visit http://www.utahastronomy.com for the photo gallery."
Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Sound waves reported by NASA Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 19:22:29 -0600
Why not call the phenomenon what it is (as you have all clarified): a pressure wave.
I believe that they call it a sound wave due to the fact that there are at least three waves that are roughly the same distance apart, traveling at the same speed. So if you greatly sped up time, the passage of these waves would be analogous to sound waves in our atmosphere.
"Sound," "acoustics" and such terms make no sense without an observer,
I would say that in the physical sense, sound and acoustics still make sense even with no one around to hear them. In the case of acoustics, sound waves generated by a remotely controlled device in a room still interfere constructively and destructively depending upon various factors even without there being an observer within 50 miles.
If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does the tree exist?
I guess that my point is that it depends upon how one defines sound. If, philosophically, one insists upon there being an observer, then there is no sound when a tree falls in the forest if no one is there to hear it. (The tree's existence has nothing to do with there being an observer). :-) However, if one abstracts one's self from such ideas, one can see that there are still sound waves, and thus sound, generated when the tree falls. Greg T. PS a fun fact: This reported "sound" Has a frequency of around. 1.596*10^-15 Hz. That is to say, the time between the passage of one wave and the next is roughly 19,854,825 years.
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Joe Thanks for asking the question. I asked the same question of a bunch of mad scientists at work and I didn't get as many estute answeres an I saw here. Thanks to everyone for your replys. My last reply was primarily for those who can't relate to B- at minus 57 octaves. Maybe we can relate to an ocean wave at ... like Waimea Bay at close out. Jim --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
participants (5)
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Cynthia Blue -
Greg Taylor -
James Helsby -
Jim Gibson -
Kim Hyatt