Written by Evan B. 05/18/2022
Image from libreshot
Scientists analyzed the area surrounding the fallen tree in a South American forest, in hopes of finding out and recreating the sound it made. They analyzed the impact that the sound waves from the tree had on the surrounding foliage, trees, and rocks, and vintage Ming dynasty vases.
To help explain: sound is created when a source produces a longitudinal wave that displaces air molecules over a certain distance. This sound wave has multiple properties, such as wavelength, speed, and amplitude. The equation for a sound wave can be written as an equation in the form Acos(kx + vt), which means that they should have hired someone who knew what they were talking about to write this article.
(A graph clarifying the difference between the different kinds of waves)
Several analysts even tried to interview the local hermit who lives in the forest about the sound the tree made when it fell, to which he replied "Sorry, I wasn't around to hear it."
Thanks to the evidence of sound impressions found on other trees, the dissipating echoes in the forest environment, and a tape-recording machine we found on the ground that recorded the tree falling, we can replicate the sound the tree produced that fateful day!
(Recreated audio)
Incredible, isn't it? With how fast our research is advancing, perhaps one day we can finally look a gift horse in the mouth.
Credit to flickr (wave graph), flickr (air dancer), and pixabay
Additional audio credit to YouTube
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