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The Kid Should See This

Why does a frozen lake sound like a Star Wars blaster?

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Ice can make all sorts of sounds: cracking, crackling, musical booooooms… and that pew! pew! Star Wars blaster sound. How? In this episode of NPR’s Skunk Bear, we learn about acoustic dispersion and how the phenomenon can create that familiar science fiction movie sound effect with the help of a frozen lake…

Or with the metal slinky that you might have around the house. Watch this vid, then try making the sound yourself.

ice sound waves
star wars blaster sound
Related ice sounds: Crackling ice stacking on the shore of Lake Superior, Ice Drumming on Lake Baikal, and dropping ice chunks down a borehole in Antarctica.

Plus: The Waterphone, The Secret World of Foley, The Inverted Glass Harp, more frequencies and vibrations, and more smart from Skunk Bear.

Thanks, @ryanjamescliff.


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