Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 January 23

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January 23

Why sounds sound like they sound

Sorry for the weird section header, but I don't know an alternative. Anyway, I'm just wondering how/why a sound sounds a particular way. For example, why doesn't a clap sound like an explosion, or why a dropped china plate doesn't sound like a "thud"? We may be used to how and know what two surfaces sound like, but we don't often question why that's the case. --Sp33dyphil ©^hat_ontributions 07:07, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Different materials have different characteristics of hardness, elasticity, resonance and many other acoustic properties, and produce many different waveforms depending on how they are struck. You might get a better answer at the Science desk.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:40, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Acoustically, the perceived sound is affected by characteristics like pitch and amplitude, and how they change in time (see ADSR envelope); also whether the sound is a single frequency (which is characteristic of a dinging or ringing sound) or a mix of frequencies (a dull thud). If you have something vibrating, like glass or china, then you will get a pure tone; but if you have something more chaotic (like walking on gravel or the sound of turbulent air movement) you'll get a mixture of frequencies, and more of a crunching, whooshing or banging sound. And an explosion can sound like a particularly loud clap - they're all sudden banging sounds caused by rapid movement of air. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:56, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

The "sound of a sound" also depends on the medium through which the sound waves are transmitted. Examples are (a) everything sounds different underwater and (b) divers breathing heliox need special communications equipment to make their voices understandable to their colleagues on the surface. Gandalf61 (talk) 10:43, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Very good points made above. One specific example may be interesting: musicians discuss differences in waveform as differences in "color" of the sound, i.e. timbre. For instance, a cornet has a different timbre than a trumpet, even though they sound very similar to the un-trained ear (I can't hear the difference very well myself, but experts claim they are as different as two human voices). Though the instruments look very similar, the cornet has a conical bore (tube increases in radius along the whole instrument), while the trumpet has a cylindrical bore (tube has same radius along the air path). This forms the physical basis for the different sounds of the instruments. SemanticMantis (talk) 16:31, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

I would just point out, that generally speaking, the above all describe the phenomena that leads to sound. They do not explain why we interpret these pressure differences in way that "sound" the way they do. We currently have very poor means of describing these kinds of qualia, much less explaining them. (An analogy from visual qualia: we can say that "red" is caused by certain wavelengths of light interacting with the optical machinery in our eyes, which goes into our brains. But we cannot really explain why the brain sees those wavelengths as "red." We cannot really imagine what it would mean to see frequencies that we cannot see, but that other animals can, like the ultraviolet or the infrared.) The qualia article goes into more detail about this. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:11, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

a medalion commeorating manchester carboundum's golden jubilee 1911-1961

i have just come across a medalion commeorating manchester carboundum's golden jubilee 1911-1961 but i can't find any information about it anywhere can you help? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.207.213.207 (talk) 11:45, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

A first stab at an answer: Funding Universe gives a brief biography of a company called Carbo PLC.

1891: Carborundum Company is founded in the United States.

1908: Carborundum establishes a manufacturing plant in Düsseldorf, Germany.

1913: The company launches a U.K. subsidiary, with a plant in Trafford Park, Manchester.

1960: Carborundum UK establishes the Resin Plant.

1978: Carborundum is acquired by Standard Oil (Sohio).

1981: Kennecott Copper acquires Sohio; Carborundum UK gets new management under CEO Ken Jackson.

The 1913 might be an error? Contact details:

Address: Trafford Park Road, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1HP United Kingdom

Telephone: 44 161 872 8291

Fax: 44 161 872 1471

Anglobrasives website

Good luck with your search. BrainyBabe (talk) 12:42, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Can you view this? It contains an advert from The Carborundum Company of Trafford Park, Manchester 17, on their 50th anniversary. Obviously your medal was another way of noting, and probably advertising the same. If you cannot view that reference, I can email it to you, but you'd have to send me an email and IP editors can't do that.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:43, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

UKDATA Company details for CARBORUNDUM ABRASIVES G.B. LTD (Registered No 00113532) shows "Incorporation Date 05-01-1911 ". Alansplodge (talk) 13:51, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

This page is about Edward Goodrich Acheson who "accidently discovered the process for synthesizing one of the hardest compounds now known to humanity — silicon carbide". Anyway, "Acheson founded and incorporated the Carborundum Company on September 21, 1891 with $150,000 to conduct his own research" and then "By 1910, the Carborundum Company was running on 10,000hp of electricity and was producing ten million pounds of silicon carbide per year."

The Open Database Of The Corporate World says: "CARBORUNDUM ABRASIVES G.B. LTD. Company Number 00113532. Status: Dissolved. Incorporation Date: 5 January 1911 (about 101 years ago). Dissolution Date: 16 August 2011." So we just missed 'em. Still, Illegitimi non carborundum! Alansplodge (talk) 14:19, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Source for dialogue from a particular Tonigh Show episode for a FAC

I am trying to gain access to a video clip or transcription or audio file of the June 24, 1968 episode of the Tonight Show, in which Jury Garland is interviewed by Johnny Carson. I thought maybe someone might have some magic source finding method I haven't tried. The purpose is as a reference in Hadji Ali, currently at FAC. The clip was formerly online here but was removed rather recently. There appears to be an audio clip at this Yahoo! Group but its not publicly accessible. I expect deafening silence in response but I thought I'd try.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:34, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

The source does not have to be online, and if online it does not have to be freely available. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 13:42, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

• • • True, but the person doing the citing needs to be able to read it. - 194.60.106.17 (talk) 13:18, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Well, of course. I need to know what was said in the interview for citation.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:48, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Ah. Later today I will see about joining that Yahoo Group and checking it out for you. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 14:28, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

I signed up and have access to the files, but just don't see that episode there. I did some other searching, but just can't find it. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 12:10, 27 January 2012 (UTC)