Hearing outside noise while in an encolsed room

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    Hearing Noise Outside
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of hearing outside noise while in an enclosed room, exploring the mechanisms of sound transmission through various materials and mediums. The conversation touches on theoretical aspects of sound propagation, practical observations, and comparisons of different materials' sound-dissipating properties.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that sound is transmitted through fluctuations in air pressure, which can cause vibrations in walls and windows, leading to sound being heard inside the room.
  • Others argue that sound travels through various mediums, not just air, and that vibrational energy can be transmitted through solid objects before reaching the air again.
  • A participant mentions that the speed of sound varies in different materials, noting that sound travels faster in denser mediums like steel compared to air or water.
  • It is suggested that while sound can be detected inside an enclosed room, the intensity is reduced due to the wall's limited ability to transmit sound energy.
  • Some participants discuss the properties of different materials, such as sand and snow, in terms of their ability to dissipate sound, raising questions about the conditions under which these materials are tested.
  • A later reply questions the specifics of sound dissipation in loose versus cemented sand, indicating uncertainty about the comparative effectiveness of different materials.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that sound can travel through various mediums and that walls can transmit sound, albeit at reduced intensity. However, there are competing views regarding the effectiveness of different materials in sound dissipation and the specifics of how sound interacts with these materials.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of consensus on the properties of specific materials like sand and their sound-dissipating capabilities, as well as the conditions under which sound transmission is tested. There are also unresolved questions about the mechanics of sound propagation through different mediums.

pivoxa15
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The theory is that sound is heard because of fluctuations in the air molecules that surround us but why is that we can hear noise coming from outside when we are in an enclosed room? Is it the case that air molecules are able to travel through the walls of an ordinary room?
 
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The fluctuation is in the air pressure. These fluctuations make the windows and other solid materials, which our homes are made of, to vibrate a little. Then these vibrations create fluctuations in the air pressure inside the room, i.e. they are making sound which we can hear.
 
Yah, sound doesn't just travel through the air. It will hit any other object and send the vibrational energy through it and once it hits air again, it gets to spread to your ear.
 
Pengwuino said:
Yah, sound doesn't just travel through the air. It will hit any other object and send the vibrational energy through it and once it hits air again, it gets to spread to your ear.
If you turn up your stereo moderately loud, feel something near the speaker. Or turn it up really loud and feel the walls. Yeah, they're shaking.

Also, the denser medium, the faster sound travels. The speed of sound in air, is slower than the speed of sound in water. The speed of sound in water is slower than the speed of sound in steel.
 
So sound will make air molecules bunch up and bunch down thereby creating pressure. This oscilating pressure will eventually hit the outside wall. The wall will receive the momentum of these air molecules and pass this momentum on to the air molecules inside the room, although much less than the momentum that it received. That is why I can detect sound inside my enclosed room although at much less intensity.
 
Exactly, because the air doesn't push very hard on the wall, the wall does not transmit the sound near as loud.
 
Sound travels through just about anything but a vacuum. However some substances, like sand will dissapate sound pretty quickly.

If you could directly attached a solid object from your ear drum to the wall, you'd definitely would hear the sound. If it was a solid steel beam, there would be less dampening effect.

You can definitely hear sounds while submerged in water.
 
Jeff Reid said:
However some substances, like sand will dissapate sound pretty quickly.
How did you happen to know this? Does this mean loose sand or cemented? It's hard to imagine a wall of sand that wouldn't be cemented somehow that someone could test for sound deadening properties. Would sand be better than soil at dissipating sound?
 
Sand is good; snow is even better.
 

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