Ask-a-Physicist by Topic
Compression Waves & Sound
Why is it that when you hear an airplane it sounds like it is coming from somewhere behind where the airplane really is? Is it because light travels faster than sound? - S, TX Find out the answer »
I've heard that digital encoding on audio CDs represents a pressure wave. But audio has so many components like volume, pitch, and timbre; how can the binary encoding of a pressure wave encompass all these attributes? RY, Madison Wisconsin. Find out the answer »
