Sound | Common News Update

Jun242018 by adminNo Comments

Scientists tackle the sound of a leaky faucet

Science

June 22 (UPI) -- Why is the sound of a leaky faucet so loud and annoying? Scientists finally have an answer -- and a solution. The sound made by a dripping faucet isn't produced by the droplet itself, researchers found, but by a tiny pocket of air trapped beneath the water's surface. The miniature bubble causes the water to oscillate, producing a distinct sound. "A lot of work has been done on the physical mechanics of a dripping tap, but not very much has been done on the sound," Anurag Agarwal, an engineer at the University of Cambridge, said in a news release. "But thanks to modern video and audio technology, we can finally find out exactly where the sound is coming from, which may help us to stop it." Agarwal, who studies acoustics and aerodynamics as they relate to aerospace and bio...

Scientists explain the sound of knuckle cracking

Science

Scientists have turned their attention to investigating that most annoying of human habits - the sound made when you crack your knuckles.The characteristic pop can be explained by three mathematical equations, say researchers in the US and France.Their model confirms the idea that the cracking sound is due to tiny bubbles collapsing in the fluid of the joint as the pressure changes.Surprisingly, perhaps, the phenomenon has been debated for around a century.Science student Vineeth Chandran Suja was cracking his knuckles in class in France when he decided to investigate. He developed a series of equations with his lecturer, Dr Abdul Barakat of École polytechnique, to explain the typical sound that accompanies the release of the joint between the fingers and the hand bones."The first equation...

Ray BLK: Sound of 2017 winner looks back

Entertainment

Ray BLK never expected to win the BBC's Sound of 2017."I just remember thinking it was a prank," she laughs. "I wasn't prepared for it at all."The soul singer was the first unsigned artist to top the annual list, which predicts the biggest new stars in music - but she resisted the temptation to rush out an album."It would have been too soon," she says. "People were only just getting to know me at that point."On her first single of 2017, Patience (Freestyle), the 24-year-old explained she'd only bother us when she had something to say. "They're running just to get in first place / I'm walking, going at my own pace," she sang. "They say slow and steady wins the race."That's not to say Ray, who was born Rita Ekwere in Nigeria, has been dragging her heels. Over the last 12 months, she's appear...