homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

News


Subscriber content preview

August 22, 2014

Strange But True!

Q. What's to be said about noise, from the Big Bang to modern-day acoustics?

A. To set the record straight, the Big Bang at the inception of the universe was noiseless: Since everything expanded uniformly, “nothing came in contact with anything else. No contact, no sound waves,” says Jonathon Keats in Discover magazine. Historically, the biggest of big bangs occurred in 1883 when Krakatoa, the volcanic island in Indonesia, erupted with the explosive power of 200 megatons of TNT, which was heard nearly 3,000 miles away.


 
. . .


To read this story in full login or purchase a subscription.



Previous columns:



Email or user name:
Password:
 
Forgot password? Click here.