WEBVTT - Can You Really Shatter Glass with a High Note?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff the production of I Heart Radio, Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. Lauren vocal bomb here it's the operatic equivalent

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<v Speaker 1>of the slip on the banana peal scene. The soprano

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<v Speaker 1>on stage hits a high note so long in piercing

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<v Speaker 1>that it cracks the opera glasses of the elegant Dowager

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<v Speaker 1>in the box seat. Hollywood can do that with a

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<v Speaker 1>trick of editing. But is it possible in real life? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>yes it is, but so is being struck by lightning.

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<v Speaker 1>Both require rare convergences of particular conditions and to understand

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<v Speaker 1>these conditions and how they work together a crash course

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<v Speaker 1>and acoustics is an order. Sound is acoustic energy, like electricity.

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<v Speaker 1>Sound energy travels through substances in waves, which excites these

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<v Speaker 1>substances particles and causes them to vibrate at a certain frequency.

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<v Speaker 1>A frequency refers to the number of waves passing through

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<v Speaker 1>a given point over a given period of time, and

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<v Speaker 1>we measure frequent see and hurts. One hurts equals one

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<v Speaker 1>wave per second. Meanwhile, every substance has a natural or

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<v Speaker 1>resonant frequency, the frequency at which its own molecules vibrate.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, suppose your bass guitar playing neighbor cracks the

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<v Speaker 1>plaster on your walls when they play a low driving baseline.

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<v Speaker 1>The quality of your neighbors speakers also affect the quality

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<v Speaker 1>of the sound, but basically, the frequency of a bass

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<v Speaker 1>guitar's lower deeper notes run from forty to fifty hurts,

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<v Speaker 1>and thus the plasters resonant frequency must fall somewhere in

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<v Speaker 1>that range. Because when a substance encounters a frequency it matches,

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<v Speaker 1>it absorbs the energy rather than reflecting it. Glass shattering

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<v Speaker 1>waves carry more energy they're shorter and choppier, thus more

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<v Speaker 1>of them pass through per second at roughly five hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and fifty six hurts. To shatter glass, the notes frequency

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<v Speaker 1>must be the same as that of the glass. That's

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<v Speaker 1>one condition. The note also has to be loud quality

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<v Speaker 1>known as intensity. Intensity is measured in decibels, while conversational

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<v Speaker 1>tones average fifty to sixty decibels. A trained vocalist might

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<v Speaker 1>have the pipes to approach the approximately a hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>five decibels needed to break glass. Even then they would

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<v Speaker 1>have to be so close as to risk serious facial cuts.

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<v Speaker 1>If the glass does explode, more likely a boost of

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<v Speaker 1>electronic amplification would be needed. Finally, the glass must be

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<v Speaker 1>strategically selected. A wine glass is a good choice. It's

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<v Speaker 1>fine and thin, unlike say beer stein, which maximizes the

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<v Speaker 1>amount of stress per particle. An empty glass cracks more readily,

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<v Speaker 1>although less dramatically than one containing water or wine air,

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<v Speaker 1>being less dense, the liquid carries the sound better, and

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<v Speaker 1>if you can find a wine glass with a flaw

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<v Speaker 1>in its structure, even an invisible one, that helps by

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<v Speaker 1>providing a weak spot. Incidentally, real world tests involving resident

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<v Speaker 1>frequencies offer more than an excuse to shatter glass. Resident

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<v Speaker 1>frequency is the basis of ultrasonic testing, which is used

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<v Speaker 1>to determine the safety of structures ranging from pipelines to airplanes.

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<v Speaker 1>Ultrasonic testing is a type of non destructive testing which

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<v Speaker 1>allows engineers to monitor the integrity of construction materials as

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<v Speaker 1>where and while they're being used, which is preferable to

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<v Speaker 1>otherwise dismantling a building or airplane for analysis in a laboratory.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article can You really

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<v Speaker 1>Shatter a Glass? With a high note on how stuff

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<v Speaker 1>works dot com, written by Christine Benzen. Brain Stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of by Heart Radio in partnership with how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the i heart

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