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Author Topic:   sonic hammer from episode 31

Jimmy posted 12-22-98 08:59 PM ET
In episode 31, it mentions a sonic hammer as the weapon that caused the explosion.
It seems to me that it probably is a device that builds up a sound wave in the ultrasonic range that resonates with the walls to cause them to explode like when a high pitched sound causes a crystal glass to shatter.
Slaine posted 12-23-98 01:45 AM ET
Why a crystal glass?
warg posted 12-23-98 04:09 AM ET
The only problum with that thery is that it didn't go off until they opened the door.
OmniDude posted 12-23-98 08:50 AM ET
There was a disturbing sound _before_ the door was opened (by DJRR, the NIMwit! Well, he payed the price ). I wonder what, if anything, would have happened if he hadn't opened the door.
Jimmy posted 12-23-98 10:24 AM ET
The resonance frequency is the frequency of a sound at which a specific material, due to its molecular structure, will vibrate at. Crystal is such that it has a resonance frequency of a very high pitch sound. Since the crystal tries to vibrate but being solid it can't, so it shatters under the stress. Each material has its own resonance frequency, that is why a specific high frequency will cause crystal to shatter and not something else.
Jimmy posted 12-23-98 10:28 AM ET
I mentionned a crystal glass because it is said that this principle was first observed at the opera, where a person was holding their glass of champagne which shattered (spilling the champagne) when the soprano hit a very high pitch note.
OmniDude posted 12-23-98 12:24 PM ET
As far as I know, Jimmy, the story about a human voice breaking crystal is a urban myth. I remember here in Denmark some 15 years ago a experiment was conducted with the purpose of actually breaking a crystal glas with a sound generator. The experiment failed. Of course, this could be due to bad experiment conduction, but still...
chriskessel posted 12-23-98 03:45 PM ET
Definately not an urban myth. All things have a harmonic frequency. Glass/crystal is simply one we can hear and produce with the human voice.
Many years ago, Maxell I think had an ad where they showed a glass shattered by some singer, and then their tapes did the same thing (ie. their tapes had great quality).
60 minutes I think took them up on this since 60 minutes couldn't reproduce it. So they went to the Maxell labs. Turns out that each glass has a slightly different frequency it shatters at since glass making isn't usually an exact science. Maxell had bunches of glasses with exact frequency ratings and they were able to prove that they could shatter a glass any time they wanted. The key was having a glass that matched the frequency of the sound.
So, bottom line, its not an urban myth . It might not have been Maxell or 60 minutes, but I definately remember seeing the episode on TV that investigated the claim.
Slaine posted 12-23-98 04:26 PM ET
Does specific materials always have the same frequency?
Say for example human bone?
One heck of an anti personal device.
Bhurak Starkiller posted 12-23-98 09:37 PM ET
Just for the sake of filling other people in on useless trivia, the singer mentioned (if it is the same commercial) was Ella Fitzgerald.
BS
Lee Johnson posted 12-24-98 09:07 AM ET
Bhurak Starkiller? Didn't I kill you in one of the Wing Commander games? :-)
Emperor V posted 12-24-98 09:38 AM ET
If I am not mistaken, I by all means please prove me wrong, that a sonic hammer is basically a device that gives off a certain frequency that acts like a force explosion much like a concussion grenade but instead using sound?
ThRiLL posted 12-24-98 03:05 PM ET
I think the description they give in the story preceeding the blast lends itself to be more of a harmonics based weapon than a cuncussion, but ... eeh.. its just fiction anyways.
Slain; yes specific materials have (relatively) similar harmonic frequencies. Obviously the purity of the specimen would account for changes in the level. (ie: the reason 60 minutes couldn't replicate the Maxell experiment.. their crystal just wasn't the same kind as Maxells... )
This is something from highschool science, but if you want to understand the effects of harmonic frequencies, go take a slinky and attach one end to something. Now pull back and stretch the thing out so it is suspended. now, if you make slow waves with the thing, they will bounce down to the end, and then come back. If you do it at the exact speed, the wave will bounce back just in time for you to make another wave, and thus add to it. This is kind of a quick and dirty lesson on harmonics and feedback, but basically, you will have found the 'harmonic frequency' of your slinky.
(unfortunately, I have yet to make a slinky explode like a crystal glass with this trick, but let me know.. )
-ThRiLL
DanS posted 03-23-99 01:38 PM ET
Bringing this sci&tech thread to the top.
Fiannaidh posted 03-26-99 09:13 AM ET
Maybe it produces an incredibly powerful soundwave in a special chamber within the device, then has some detonator that explodes a section of the device, exposing such a powerful sound to an environment where it cannot exist, causing a massive shockwave. I really have no idea what I'm talking about though.
googlie posted 06-21-99 12:06 AM ET
bringing to the top
googlie posted 06-21-99 12:23 AM ET
testing
sandworm posted 06-22-99 06:54 PM ET
Odd trivia: I shattered the lens to my glasses once with the vibration from an electric razor (not on purpose).
upping my post count by one,
sandworm

googlie posted 07-09-99 01:53 PM ET
bumping
Zoetrope posted 07-12-99 05:04 AM ET
I imagine the sonic hammer just produces a concentrated, much as a water cutter produces a high pressure water jet to cut steel, or a laser produces a narrow collimated beam of coherent light. So, think of it as a sound laser.
sandworm: neat trick with the glass lens and the shaver frequency (or not, depending on whether you are more fascinated by the science than inconvenienced by the breakage).
The shattering of kitchen glasses by an appropriately tuned sound generator is demonstrated every year at Open Day by LaTrobe University's department of Physics. So if you're ever here in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) on the last Sunday in August, drop by and I'll take time off my own display to show you.
Btw, what frequency does plasticene vibrate at?
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Author	Topic: sonic hammer from episode 31
Jimmy	posted 12-22-98 08:59 PM ET In episode 31, it mentions a sonic hammer as the weapon that caused the explosion. It seems to me that it probably is a device that builds up a sound wave in the ultrasonic range that resonates with the walls to cause them to explode like when a high pitched sound causes a crystal glass to shatter.
Slaine	posted 12-23-98 01:45 AM ET Why a crystal glass?
warg	posted 12-23-98 04:09 AM ET The only problum with that thery is that it didn't go off until they opened the door.
OmniDude	posted 12-23-98 08:50 AM ET There was a disturbing sound _before_ the door was opened (by DJRR, the NIMwit! Well, he payed the price ). I wonder what, if anything, would have happened if he hadn't opened the door.
Jimmy	posted 12-23-98 10:24 AM ET The resonance frequency is the frequency of a sound at which a specific material, due to its molecular structure, will vibrate at. Crystal is such that it has a resonance frequency of a very high pitch sound. Since the crystal tries to vibrate but being solid it can't, so it shatters under the stress. Each material has its own resonance frequency, that is why a specific high frequency will cause crystal to shatter and not something else.
Jimmy	posted 12-23-98 10:28 AM ET I mentionned a crystal glass because it is said that this principle was first observed at the opera, where a person was holding their glass of champagne which shattered (spilling the champagne) when the soprano hit a very high pitch note.
OmniDude	posted 12-23-98 12:24 PM ET As far as I know, Jimmy, the story about a human voice breaking crystal is a urban myth. I remember here in Denmark some 15 years ago a experiment was conducted with the purpose of actually breaking a crystal glas with a sound generator. The experiment failed. Of course, this could be due to bad experiment conduction, but still...
chriskessel	posted 12-23-98 03:45 PM ET Definately not an urban myth. All things have a harmonic frequency. Glass/crystal is simply one we can hear and produce with the human voice. Many years ago, Maxell I think had an ad where they showed a glass shattered by some singer, and then their tapes did the same thing (ie. their tapes had great quality). 60 minutes I think took them up on this since 60 minutes couldn't reproduce it. So they went to the Maxell labs. Turns out that each glass has a slightly different frequency it shatters at since glass making isn't usually an exact science. Maxell had bunches of glasses with exact frequency ratings and they were able to prove that they could shatter a glass any time they wanted. The key was having a glass that matched the frequency of the sound. So, bottom line, its not an urban myth . It might not have been Maxell or 60 minutes, but I definately remember seeing the episode on TV that investigated the claim.
Slaine	posted 12-23-98 04:26 PM ET Does specific materials always have the same frequency? Say for example human bone? One heck of an anti personal device.
Bhurak Starkiller	posted 12-23-98 09:37 PM ET Just for the sake of filling other people in on useless trivia, the singer mentioned (if it is the same commercial) was Ella Fitzgerald. BS
Lee Johnson	posted 12-24-98 09:07 AM ET Bhurak Starkiller? Didn't I kill you in one of the Wing Commander games? :-)
Emperor V	posted 12-24-98 09:38 AM ET If I am not mistaken, I by all means please prove me wrong, that a sonic hammer is basically a device that gives off a certain frequency that acts like a force explosion much like a concussion grenade but instead using sound?
ThRiLL	posted 12-24-98 03:05 PM ET I think the description they give in the story preceeding the blast lends itself to be more of a harmonics based weapon than a cuncussion, but ... eeh.. its just fiction anyways. Slain; yes specific materials have (relatively) similar harmonic frequencies. Obviously the purity of the specimen would account for changes in the level. (ie: the reason 60 minutes couldn't replicate the Maxell experiment.. their crystal just wasn't the same kind as Maxells... ) This is something from highschool science, but if you want to understand the effects of harmonic frequencies, go take a slinky and attach one end to something. Now pull back and stretch the thing out so it is suspended. now, if you make slow waves with the thing, they will bounce down to the end, and then come back. If you do it at the exact speed, the wave will bounce back just in time for you to make another wave, and thus add to it. This is kind of a quick and dirty lesson on harmonics and feedback, but basically, you will have found the 'harmonic frequency' of your slinky. (unfortunately, I have yet to make a slinky explode like a crystal glass with this trick, but let me know.. ) -ThRiLL
DanS	posted 03-23-99 01:38 PM ET Bringing this sci&tech thread to the top.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-26-99 09:13 AM ET Maybe it produces an incredibly powerful soundwave in a special chamber within the device, then has some detonator that explodes a section of the device, exposing such a powerful sound to an environment where it cannot exist, causing a massive shockwave. I really have no idea what I'm talking about though.
googlie	posted 06-21-99 12:06 AM ET bringing to the top
googlie	posted 06-21-99 12:23 AM ET testing
sandworm	posted 06-22-99 06:54 PM ET Odd trivia: I shattered the lens to my glasses once with the vibration from an electric razor (not on purpose). upping my post count by one, sandworm
googlie	posted 07-09-99 01:53 PM ET bumping
Zoetrope	posted 07-12-99 05:04 AM ET I imagine the sonic hammer just produces a concentrated, much as a water cutter produces a high pressure water jet to cut steel, or a laser produces a narrow collimated beam of coherent light. So, think of it as a sound laser. sandworm: neat trick with the glass lens and the shaver frequency (or not, depending on whether you are more fascinated by the science than inconvenienced by the breakage). The shattering of kitchen glasses by an appropriately tuned sound generator is demonstrated every year at Open Day by LaTrobe University's department of Physics. So if you're ever here in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) on the last Sunday in August, drop by and I'll take time off my own display to show you. Btw, what frequency does plasticene vibrate at?