The old explanation, according to which the longing sound made by the duck does not produce an echo, turns out to be incorrect
Haaretz, BBC, the Science Service and the news agencies
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The old explanation, according to which the longing sound made by the duck does not produce an echo, turns out to be incorrect.
The British acoustic expert Prof. Trevor Cox used the most sophisticated techniques that science can offer to prove his claim that the sounds produced by birds are reflected from hard surfaces in exactly the same way as other sounds are reflected. However, the researcher nevertheless discovered that there is a trace of truth in the myth, and his ability to explain how it was created in the first place. According to him, the longing of the duck, which ends with the sound "aaaaaack", tends to mask and eliminate any echo that is created.
Why would scientists go to such great lengths to study duck nostalgia? Prof. Cox is an echo research expert. His work helps building engineers improve the acoustics in concert halls, movie theaters and even train stations. So, if the ducks had some secret "trick" for eliminating echoes, he would certainly be interested in learning what it was. "Many people do believe in the belief that the longing for the duck has no echo, so we found it appropriate to investigate the issue," he told the BBC network.
Prof. Cox and his research partners at the Center for Acoustics Research at Stanford University put Daisy the duck inside an "Anakoi" chamber that absorbs all the echoes, and also inside the reverse action - maximizing the sounds reflected from its sides. After that, with the help of a computer program, they analyzed the sounds that Daisy produced, and created a simulation of them in different environments. "The results showed that the longing sound of the duck disappears with a slow death - as if the sound was heard over time. Since the sound the duck makes is quiet to begin with and it continues to die away slowly, it creates a feeling that the echo is muffled. It is very difficult to hear it, and this is how the myth was actually born."
The scientist adds:
The virtual techniques, also known as auralization, are common in evaluating the sounds that will be heard inside a building or a car during the planning process, or to evaluate how to improve the acoustics in old spaces. Prof. Cox tried to disperse the echo using what he called "sound crystals". These crystals are made of an array of coils or spheres that can be hung around a room to produce a preferred sound experience.
Just as real crystals scatter X-rays, sound crystals scatter sound. And if sound is emitted, you can get rid of echoes.
Prof. Cox presented his research to the annual meeting of the British Association held every year in Salford near Manchester.
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