WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: What Is White Noise?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and this is another classic

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<v Speaker 1>episode from our previous host, Christian Sagar. White noise generators

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<v Speaker 1>are a boon to some of us who work in

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<v Speaker 1>open office environments and need to concentrate, and to some

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<v Speaker 1>of us who are just trying to get a good

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<v Speaker 1>night's sleep. In today's episode, we explain why crossover into

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. Now, children, all are welcome. I'm Christian Sager.

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<v Speaker 1>But before we go into the light together, there seems

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<v Speaker 1>to be some confusion among you about what white noises

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<v Speaker 1>no It isn't when you have that snowy static on

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<v Speaker 1>your TV and ghosts fly out of the screen and

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<v Speaker 1>your daughter says they're here. No. White noise is something

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<v Speaker 1>we've all heard, some of us without even knowing it.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's define what it is exactly, how it's used

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<v Speaker 1>to mask other sounds, and what other colors exist on

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<v Speaker 1>the spectrum of sound. The simplest definition is that white

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<v Speaker 1>noise is the noise produced by combining all the different

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<v Speaker 1>frequencies of sound together at once. Each of these frequencies

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<v Speaker 1>are projected at an equal amount from low to high.

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<v Speaker 1>Because white noise has an equal energy distribution. Sound technicians

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<v Speaker 1>refer to its frequency spectrum as being completely flat. Some machines,

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<v Speaker 1>like fans, for instance, can create an approximation of white

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<v Speaker 1>noise by hitting all of these notes. That's why they're

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<v Speaker 1>so good at creating background noises that masks other sounds.

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<v Speaker 1>When there are sudden changes in noise, were often distracted

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<v Speaker 1>by the jarring clash, especially if we're sleeping. White noises

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<v Speaker 1>masking effect blocks out those changes, making it easier to

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<v Speaker 1>sleep through the night. That's one reason some people leave

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<v Speaker 1>a fan and air purifier, or even a television on

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<v Speaker 1>in the middle of the night. This sound masking is

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<v Speaker 1>also used to block noise is in places like offices, hotels,

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<v Speaker 1>and libraries often broadcast over a p A system. If

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<v Speaker 1>you're trying to concentrate in a disturbing environment and there

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<v Speaker 1>aren't filters like these in place, you can even listen

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<v Speaker 1>to white noise on your headphones to mediate the conflicting noise.

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<v Speaker 1>How do you think we write these brain stuff episodes

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<v Speaker 1>when we all live together in this tiny little studio

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<v Speaker 1>prison and are never allowed to leave. There is peace

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<v Speaker 1>and serenity in white noise. It can also be used

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<v Speaker 1>as a kind of therapy for people with ringing ear,

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<v Speaker 1>also known as tenitis. I've got that because of its

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<v Speaker 1>equal high and low frequencies. For more info about how

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<v Speaker 1>ringing ear works, check out our previous episode on the topic.

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<v Speaker 1>And one other thing to note is that, because of

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<v Speaker 1>an effect called stochastic resonance, some people actually find that

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<v Speaker 1>white noise makes their tonitis worse. Now we call it

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<v Speaker 1>white noise because it's analogous to how white light works,

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<v Speaker 1>being made up of all the different frequencies of light.

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<v Speaker 1>But white noise isn't the only color on the sound spectrum.

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<v Speaker 1>Depending on the way signals are distributed over different frequencies

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<v Speaker 1>that can be red, blue, violet, or gray. Pink noise,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, is very similar to white noise, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>higher frequencies have less intensity, making it louder and more

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<v Speaker 1>powerful on the low end. This makes it useful for

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<v Speaker 1>testing speakers and amplifiers. Like white noise, it's also used

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<v Speaker 1>to mask background sounds, and pink noise even occurs naturally

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<v Speaker 1>in heartbeat rhythms, meteorological data, and the radiation output of

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<v Speaker 1>astronomical pods. Today's episode was written by Christian and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Playing. Brain Stuff is a production of I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radios How stuff Works. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other topics, visit our home planet, how stuff

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<v Speaker 1>Works dot com. And for more podcasts my heart radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.