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origami_alligator t1_j4u0rtj wrote

Reply to comment by TheJasonKientz in What happens to the energy of sound in space? by full_hammer

Wouldn’t the medium of the tuning fork propagate the sound within itself? Sound doesn’t propagate only through gas.

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WeaponizedKissing t1_j4ukxh8 wrote

If a tuning fork is dinged in space, but there's no atmosphere to hear it in, does it make a sound?

The fork will continue to vibrate. But there's no "sound". It's just a wobbly fork. No matter how close you hold it to your ear, you won't hear anything.

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raff7 t1_j4unzfj wrote

Well.. technically if you get it close enough so that you physically touch the for you will eat it, because sound can be carried by the fork and then your own body

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Buddahrific t1_j4whq4h wrote

That's assuming you didn't blow your eardrum completely in the transition to a vacuum. Which is possible if the pressure differential was maintained (pressure reduced on the inner ear at the same rate as outer).

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origami_alligator t1_j4w5obs wrote

I think you asked the equivalent of “If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

There are vibrations propagating through the medium of the tuning fork. Thus, sound is being propagated. In space it doesn’t have a medium to transfer that wave to, and thus it cannot be perceived by the human ear. That doesn’t mean the vibrations aren’t functionally the same as if we hit the tuning fork in a place with some sort of atmosphere. Sound doesn’t need to be perceived to be functionally the same thing as sound that is perceived. Technically any vibration through a medium is considered sound, whether you can hear it or not.

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rdrunner_74 t1_j4vq4gl wrote

It is the natural frequency of the fork, so it will not waste (much) energy swinging at it.

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And yes, it makes a sound - You can press it against your skull to hear it (via Bone propagation)

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Acceptable_Visit604 t1_j4veluu wrote

Only if you find a way for the tuning fork to be in direct contact with your eardum

So just mold one while the shape is right against your ear 😁

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SweetNeo85 t1_j4vfzhc wrote

And why shouldn't indirect contact be suitable? Hold it in your teeth for example. I imagine something would even get through merely holding it in your hand.

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kerbaal t1_j4vuioz wrote

> And why shouldn't indirect contact be suitable? Hold it in your teeth for example.

Don't do that, you don't need to do that. Just hold it to your temple, or any nearby area where there is bone just under the skin.

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Baalthoros t1_j4vg1m9 wrote

If it was touching the skin near the ear youd hear it. Just like bone induction earbuds. The sound would travel through the skin, then bone, to your eardrum.

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Froggmann5 t1_j512hmv wrote

There are toothbrushes like this that play the radio when you brush your teeth. If you put a wobbly fork to your teeth in space wouldn't you still hear it that way?

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