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Articles on Sound waves

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Do you think you could make an echo at Echo Point in Katoomba? Flickr/Amanda Slater

Curious Kids: what makes an echo?

When a sound is made, it spreads. And when it hits a hard surface that is far away, it bounces back and comes back to where the sound was made. That’s what we call an echo.
Sonic weapons usually leave no physical marks but can be devastating psychologically. Vikash Kumar/flickr

Friday essay: the sound of fear

From Long Range Acoustic Devices used to disperse protesters to ear-splitting military drones to songs blasted on rotation to prisoners, ours is an age in which sound has been repositioned as a tool of terror.
The author began hearing the sound at night, between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m. 'Street' via www.shutterstock.com

Cracking the mystery of the ‘Worldwide Hum’

Shortly after Glen MacPherson started hearing strange humming noises, he created the World Hum and Database Project so people around the world could document their own experiences with the Hum.
Making waves. Flickr/Max Nathan

Explainer: making waves in science

We find them at the beach, in every sound and light show, the miracle of wi-fi and now in the fabric of space-time itself. But what exactly is a wave?
Urban noise pushes birds to sing in high pitch and ship sound deafens whales and dolphins. John Haslam, Eric Bégin, IK's World Trip, Green Fire Productions, flickker photos, Jay Ebberly / Flickr

How noise pollution is changing animal behaviour

Noise pollution, whether on land or under water, can affect animals in interesting – and not always positive – ways.

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