DUCK THEORY IS QUACKERS - (theory: a duck's quack does not produce an echo)

SkyNews ^ | 09/08/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

Scientists say they have sunk an enduring theory that a duck's quack does not produce an echo.

They claim to have proved, with the help of a farmyard duck called Daisy, that the theory is quackers.

Acoustic expert Professor Trevor Cox began the investigation at the University of Salford after hearing the myth referred to on several TV and radio programmes.

First Daisy was recorded quacking in a special room with jagged surfaces that produces no sound reflections.

Next she was moved to a reverberation chamber with cathedral-like acoustics.

Finally, the data was used to create simulations of Daisy performing at the Royal Albert Hall, and quacking as she flew past a cliff face.

Professor Cox said: "A duck quacks rather quietly, so the sound coming back is at a low level and might not be heard.

"Also, a quack is a fading sound. It has a gradual decay, so it's hard to tell the difference between the actual quack and the echo."

Another reason why the belief might have grown that quacks do not echo is that ducks are normally found in open-water areas. They do not usually congregate around echoey cliffs.

The experiments may be fun, but acoustic science has a serious role to play in shaping our environment, he added.

"It's very important," said the professor. "Just think of the number of times you find it impossible to hear the announcements in railway stations.

"Also, we have an ageing population and one of the effects of getting older is that you lose your hearing."

Last Updated: 11:02 UK, Monday September 08, 2003

[bedolido]

[The_Victor]

"AFLAC"

[CholeraJoe]

I've known this for years. In the Missouri river canyon, you hear quacking echo all of the time when ducks are around.

[Portnoy]

AIDS, Cancer, MS, Parkinsons....No cure.

Yet now we know a duck's quack does indeed make an echo.

Thanks guys....

[WestPacSailor]

"Who let the ducks out?..."

[Mr. Bird]

Professor Cox said: "A duck quacks rather quietly, so the sound coming back is at a low level and might not be heard. "Also, a quack is a fading sound. It has a gradual decay, so it's hard to tell the difference between the actual quack and the echo."

Well, they still don't get to the point. If we put a duck in the Grand Canyon and it quacks, will a person with normal hearing hear an echo? Frankly, who cares if the sound waves themselves are bounced back. I want to know: can I hear an echo of a duck's quack?

Seems to me they spent a lot of energy (and presumably some expense) to determine something completely different than what is being asked.

[coloradan]

This just in: an explanation of why vampires seem to not reflect in mirrors: First, vampires are active at night, which makes them difficult to see at all, let alone in a mirror, and second, vampires tend to occur in wooded areas and at gravesites, neither of which has an abundance of mirrors.

[DannyTN]

Yes, but if a duck quacks in a revine and there is noone there to hear it, does it make a sound?

[DannyTN]

Yes, but if a duck quacks in a revine and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

[WestPacSailor]

And if a man speaks and there isn't a woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

[Lee Heggy]

Next a series of experiments that will conclusively prove that cutting the tail off of a cat and wearing it around your neck will NOT make oneself invisible and that if a turtle bites a person on the toe it will not release untill it hears thunder.

Your tax dollars at work!!!

[Cobra64]

What'd this research cost the American taxpayer. $50 mil?

[Cobra64]

And if a man speaks and there isn't a woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

And do you know why women don't fart?

Because they don't stop talking long enough to build up pressure!

[bedolido]

Because they don't stop talking long enough to build up pressure!

Lol... thanks for the yuks this Monday morning.

[aruanan]

On a related note, a duck call, voiced by helium blown through it, is pitch-shifted upwards.

[aculeus]

Earlier thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/977821/posts

[joesnuffy]

duck who fly upside down
have quack up

[vin-one]

If a duck craps in the lake, does it still stink
or does it just fowl the water

If a duck quacks in the forest and no body is there to hear it does it still make a sound

ok getting a little tired of this quack,,,,,

did you hear it............

[John O]

AIDS, Cancer, MS, Parkinsons....No cure.

Yet now we know a duck's quack does indeed make an echo.

Thanks guys....

Finding that a duck's quack does indeed echo is far more important than wasting money on a disease (AIDS, more correctly known as GRIDS) that we already know how to prevent 100% of the time.