Queries On Universal Nature, Or Nature of the Universe :smile: Options

[visuja]

This is in response to a post at the Shlokas thread -- Gayatri Mantra

Can sound (as we know it) be generated in space ?? Theres no (known) medium between the fast moving bodies for sound travel. Else we'd all have evolved as deaf creatures, or probably developed an alternate way to understand sound amidst all the terrible (and terrific) background noise.

Is energy created in the universe (apart from E=mc^2) ? The kinetic energy of galaxies is simply the energy they possess due to their motion. If they stopped moving, all the KE would be transformed into some form of potential energy, I believe. (Although that might lead the collpase of galaxies due to intense gravitational fields). And where is the sink (if any) where energy is consumed ??

This post has been edited by visuja: Aug 31 2005, 08:42 AM

[visuja]

Thanks Mandrake, bibhas and hits to grace the thread (exactly the people I was expecting who'll respond )

.... sound waves don't die away totally. They go to a ultra-micro state and remain so. The hypothesis went so far as to ponder, whether we could eventually develop a technology to 'reconstruct' those sounds, and listen to all that happened in the past, "provided we also developed the technique to zero in on specific strands of conversation".

Interesting theory Mandrake. I assume sound waves lose energy (that associated with their amplitude or 'loudness') to begin with in the process of overcoming the friction to cause particles to vibrate and thus propogate the sound wave. If Im not wrong, to remain in an ultra-micro state, the wave should basically possess some amplitude ('loudness'). which means the wave doesnt lose all its energy and has reached a kind of steady state. Didnt quite understand that. (or more likely theres something fundamentally incorrect in my understanding of sound propogation ).
To clarify my confusion with wave energy, like electromagnetic waves, do sound waves also have an equivalent energy associated with their frequency (akin to E = h * frequency) ? If so, is there any loss of this energyduring propogation ? .. which would basically mean a change in frequency ! ....

I hope I am reading your question right. Pick up any classical flute recital by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and listen to it carefully. He uses soft notes in the higher octaves and loud notes in the lower octave to create quite an effect ! I'll try to find a specific example meanwhile for you to listen.

Spot on, bibhas ! Its so much easier for me to visualise (literally) the same funda in relation to colors ... a dull red vs a bright violet color ... mathematically it makes sense in y = Asin(w*t) and graphically also it makes sense... just unable to relate it to reality

I wish I could listen and discern what u r trying to say bibhas, but frankly I just 'know' that there are generally 3 octaves used while singing .. dont ask me to recognise the Sa from all the 3 octaves... I wont be able to... itni bhi musical 'sense' nahin hai mujhmein Pls pls pls find me an example if possible

...which can be applied in a variety of circumstances (that will account for "creation" of energy).

So hits u mean the original equation does allow for energy 'creation', just that scientists havent got experimental / observational proof yet ? Yes, I understand that mass can be created from energy and I suppose it has been experimentally proven too. But has it been observed in the universe ? A physical body that gains mass at the cost of its energy ? (an 'anti-star', so to speak !!) Also, the 'energy-sinks' that you indicate are those where energy just 'disappears' rather than being transformed into mass ??

A query on black holes : How is the presence of black holes verified ? Direct evidence would be impossible I guess because nothing escapes a black hole. So is it by inferential observations of the characteristics of the 'fuel' that plummets into the black hole ?

[bibhas]

I hope I am reading your question right. Pick up any classical flute recital by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and listen to it carefully. He uses soft notes in the higher octaves and loud notes in the lower octave to create quite an effect ! I'll try to find a specific example meanwhile for you to listen.

Spot on, bibhas ! Its so much easier for me to visualise (literally) the same funda in relation to colors ... a dull red vs a bright violet color ... mathematically it makes sense in y = Asin(w*t) and graphically also it makes sense... just unable to relate it to reality

I wish I could listen and discern what u r trying to say bibhas, but frankly I just 'know' that there are generally 3 octaves used while singing .. dont ask me to recognise the Sa from all the 3 octaves... I wont be able to... itni bhi musical 'sense' nahin hai mujhmein Pls pls pls find me an example if possible

Vivek,
Sorry it took this long. Hariji's pieces were too complex to post to illustrate my point without getting into technicalities of music. So I have a short clip from one of my music classes where my guruji is playing a short piece in Raag Kirwani. I'll specify the timings so that you can follow the pattern of the notes.

08-10 secs: Loud notes in higher octave

19-21 and then again 36-40 : Loud notes in lower octave

25-31: soft notes in higher octave. Specifically compare these to the other two sets listed above.

Bibhas