Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> I'M JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN,
WELCOME TO OUR "D4K" WEB-ONLY
SHOW.
JOINING ME TO ANSWER YOUR
QUESTIONS ABOUT SOUND ARE IN OUR
POCATELLO STUDIO, STEVE
SHROPSHIRE, PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS
AT IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY.
THANKS FOR JOINING US, STEVE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> AND JOINING ME HERE IN BOISE
IS KATHRYN DEVINE, ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AT THE
COLLEGE OF IDAHO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR INVITING ME.
>> LET'S GO TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
>> MY NAME IS JACOB, AND I GO TO
SCHOOL IN MOSCOW.
MY QUESTION IS, DOES SOUND
TRAVEL IN A PLACE WITHOUT AIR?
>> WELL, THERE ARE LOTS OF
PLACES WITHOUT AIR.
YOU CAN HAVE WATER, AND IT
TRAVELS PRETTY MUCH IN THE SAME
WAY AS SOUND THROUGH AIR.
YOU HAVE MOLECULES COLLIDING
WITH EACH OTHER, TRANSMITTING
ENERGY.
AND A DISCRIMINATED TURBANS THAT
MOVES.
SO, YES, YOU CAN HAVE SOUND
TRAVEL THROUGH METAL, THROUGH
WOOD, THROUGH STRINGS, THROUGH
WATER, ANYTHING THAT COULD
VIBRATE OR MOVE.
BUT IF YOU HAVE THERE NOTHING AT
ALL, SAY A PERFECT VACUUM, LIKE
IN DEEP, DEEP SPACE, YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO HEAR A SOUND.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT
CAN MOVE OR VIBRATE OR TRANSMIT
THAT ENERGY IN ORDER FOR SOUND
TO MOVE.
>> MATTHEW FROM DALTON
ELEMENTARY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW,
HOW FAR AWAY FROM A HUMAN EAR
HEAR?
>> THIS AGAIN DEPENDS ON HOW
LOUD THE SOUND WAS WHEN IT FIRST
WENT OFF.
AND SO PROBABLY YOU WOULDN'T BE
ABLE TO HEAR MY VOICE FOR MORE
THAN 50 FEET AWAY IN A NORMAL
ROOM, BUT LIKE STEVE SAID, YOU
COULD HEAR A VOLCANO ERUPTING
FROM HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.
SO IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH ENERGY
THE SOUND HAS AT THE VERY
BEGINNING AND THAT DEPENDS --
DETERMINES HOW FAR AWAY THE
SOUND CAN BE HEARD.
SO MORE ENERGY, AND YOU CAN HEAR
IT FARTHER AWAY.
>> ISAAC FROM DALTON ELEMENTARY
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, HOW CAN
SOUND WAVES BE USED TO SHATTER
KIDNEY AND GALLSTONES?
>> SOUND WAVES TRAVEL -- THEY
HAVE ENERGY TO THEM, AND SO AS
YOU MAY HAVE BEEN AROUND LIKE A
LOUD SOUND OR A RUMBLING SOUND,
YOU KNOW SOUND WAVE CAN CAUSE
THINGS TO VIBRATE.
SO IT'S A SIMILAR TECHNIQUE.
THEY AIM THE SOUND AND TARGET
THE SOUND AT THE KIDNEY OR GAL
STONES, IN YOUR BODY, SO THEY
DON'T HAVE TO CUT YOU OPEN, THEY
CAN LET THE SOUND WAVES TRAVEL
THROUGH YOUR BODY AND BREAK OUT,
CAUSE THE STONES TO VIBRATE AT
THE RIGHT FREQUENTER SI SO THEY
BREAK UP INTO SMALLER THINGS
THAT CAN BE PASSED OUT OF THE
BODY.
>> MY NAME IS JACK, AND MY
QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE LOUDEST
SOUND AND HOW FAR WILL IT
TRAVEL?
>> THE LOUDEST SOUND IN THE
UNIVERSE?
WOW.
I DON'T KNOW.
I'M TRYING TO THINK OF PROBABLY
THE VOLCANO EXAMPLE THAT STEVE
GAVE EARLIER WOULD BE THE
LOUDEST ONE THAT I'VE EVER HEARD
OF ON EARTH.
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT
HAPPEN OUT IN SPACE THAT ARE
EXTREMELY ENERGETIC, LIKE A
SUPERNOVA, AND I CAN IMAGINE
THAT IF YOU ARE WERE AROUND TO
HEAR IT WOULD BE PRETTY LOUD.
BUT AGAIN, SOUND DOESN'T TRAVEL
VERY WELL THROUGH SPACE BECAUSE
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH GAS THERE TO
LET THE SOUND WAVE GO.
SO I GUESS WE WOULDN'T HEAR THAT
FROM WHERE WE ARE HERE ON EARTH.
>> THE LOUDEST SOUND WE HAVE
RECORD OF IS THE EXPLOSION OF
THE VOLCANO BACK IN THE 1800s.
PEOPLE RECORDED HEARING THE
SOUND BLAST FROM THAT EXPLOSION
THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.
>> KYLIE FROM DALTON ELEMENTARY
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, HOW CAN A
DOG HEAR SOUNDS THAT ARE TOO
HIGH FOR HUMANS?
>> THEIR EARS ARE MADE DIFFERENT
THAN OURS.
THE DIMENSIONS OF OUR EAR, THE
SHAPE, AND IT'S THE LENGTH OF
OUR EAR CANALS DETERMINE WHAT
SORT OF PITCHES WE'RE SENSITIVE
IN HEARING.
AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE EARS
THAT ARE SENSITIVE IN THAT RANGE
THAT THE DOGS DO.
GOING THE OTHER DIRECTION,
ELEPHANTS CAN HEAR MUCH LOWER IN
FREQUENCIES THAN WE DO.
BECAUSE THEIR EAR CANAL IS MUCH
LONGER, AND DEEPER THAN OURS.
>> HI.
MY NAME IS CASSIDY AND I GO TO
WEST PARK SCHOOL IN MOSCOW.
THIS IS MY QUESTION -- DO DEAF
PEOPLE HEAR SOUNDS?
>> I THINK DEAF PEOPLE, THERE'S
A RANGE OF DEAFNESS, SO SOME
DEAF PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO HEAR
SOUNDS AND JUST CAN'T HEAR
CERTAIN FREQUENCIES.
AND SOME DEAF PEOPLE REALLY
CAN'T HEAR ANY SOUND AT AM.
AND SO IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE
PERSON.
>> THEY CAN ALSO FEEL SOUND.
>> YES.
YOU CAN FEEL SOUND JUST LIKE YOU
CAN -- EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT USING
YOUR EARS, YOU CAN FEEL THE
VIBRATIONS OF SOME SOUNDS.
>> I GO TO LENA WHE WHITMORE IN
MOSCOW, IDAHO.
MY QUESTION IS, WHEN A SONIC
BOOM IS MADE, HOW IS THE SOUND
PRODUCED?
>> WITH A SONIC BOOM, WHAT YOU
HAVE IS YOU HAVE SOMETHING
THAT'S ACTUALLY MOVING FASTER
THAN SOUND WOULD NORMALLY
TRAVEL.
AND IT'S LIKE THROWING -- LET'S
TALK ABOUT A ROCK IN WATER
AGAIN.
YOU'RE USED TO SEEING THE
RIPPLES GO OUT, BUT IF THE ROCK
IS TRAVELING FASTER THAN THE
RIPPLES, YOU'LL HAVE A BUNCH OF
RIPPLES PILE UP ALONG WITH EACH
OTHER.
THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
AIR WITH THE SONIC BOOM.
YOU HAVE LIKE THE RIPPLES OF THE
SOUND, BUT THEY'RE BEING
PRODUCED SO RAPIDLY AS A PLANE
OR SOMETHING MOVES THROUGH THE
AIR, THAT ON THE LEADING EDGE
THE RIPPLES ARE ALL PILED UP
AGAINST EACH OTHER.
THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO
SEPARATE.
AND SO WHEN THE SOUND REACHES
YOU, IT'S A BIG BOOM, BECAUSE
ALL THAT SOUND ADDS UP AS THE
THING IS MOVING THROUGH THE AIR.
>> KATY AT DALTON ELEMENTARY
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF SOMETHING
IS REALLY LOUD, CAN IT MAKE YOU
DEAF?
>> YES.
YEAH.
AND IT CAN KIND OF -- IT CAN
TAKE YOUR HEARING OUT IN ONE
INSTANT.
THE THING THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO
WORRY ABOUT A LITTLE MORE IS
EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO FAIRLY
LOUD SOUNDS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO THIS IS, IF YOU WEAR YOUR
HEADPHONES AND YOU CRANK UP THE
VOLUME A LOT, YOU'RE ACTUALLY
DAMAGING THOSE DETECTORS IN YOUR
EARS, SO IF YOU HEAR REALLY LOUD
SOUND, YOU COULD DAMAGE THEM
COMPLETELY ONCE AND IT COULD
MAKE YOU DEAF FOR A LITTLE WHILE
OR EVEN PERMANENTLY.
BUT IF YOU JUST SLOWLY DAMAGE
THEM BY EXPOSING THEM TO LOUD
SOUNDS OVER LONG PERIOD OF TIME,
THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY OVER THE
COURSE OF YOUR LIFE START TO
LOSE YOUR SENSITIVITY TO SOUND
AND MAKE YOURSELF SLOWLY DEAF.
>> WE'VE RUN OUT OF TIME.
MY THANKS TO STEVE SHROPSHIRE IN
POCATELLO, STEVE, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND KATHRYN DEVINE HERE IN
BOISE.
THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT SOUND, CHECK OUT THE SOUND
AREA ON THE "D4K" WEBSITE.
YOU'LL FIND FACTS, LINKS, GAMES,
OUR SOUND BROADCAST SHOW AND
LOTS MORE.
AND EVERY WEEK CHECK OUT MY
SCIENCE BLOG TERROR THE LATEST
SCIENCE NEWS FOR KIDS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US ON THIS
"D4K" WEB-ONLY.
Captioning Performed By LNS Captioning www.LNScaptioning.com