#sound
Questions about “sound”.
5 articles
Why do we see lightning before we hear thunder?
A flash, then a pause, then the rumble. Lightning and thunder are born in the same instant, so why do they reach us at different times? That gap has also served science remarkably well.
What is the G string in “Air on the G String”?
Bach’s serene melody turns up at weddings and in commercials. But what exactly is the “G string” in its title, and why did it end up in the name at all?
What kind of piece is 4′33″?
A pianist walks on stage and sits at the keyboard, and then no note ever sounds. What was the twentieth century’s most notorious piece of music really asking us to hear?
Is Japan the only country that sings Beethoven’s Ninth at year’s end?
Every December, the “Ode to Joy” rings out in concert halls all over Japan. It looks like a uniquely Japanese year-end ritual, but its model came from somewhere unexpected.
Why does an ambulance siren change pitch as it passes?
A siren sounds high as it approaches and drops the moment it passes. To test this effect, a 19th-century Dutch scientist put musicians on a train.