I was thinking something along these lines. I thought I had mentioned it, but I didn't. There isn't much I don't think between me and them except trees, some bushes, and maybe a house or two. On the other hand, it seems that like you said from car to car you only hear the bass. And they always play music with a lot of bass, like they know it annoys the heck out of everyone else. Why not crank up some Bob Dylan? (-: So in your opinion was my first idea close? At night I may be able to hear a far-away AM station because the waves can bend and bounce better? The same for the bass drum from the neighbor crappy music? That seems right to me, but "bending around objects" doesn't seems scientific enough an explanation, like one that would go over in a physics classroom. I think you're right though. Lindy -----Original Message----- From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of Cedric Chang Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:11 PM To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. Subject: Re: [OT] Why do I only hear the bass drum? Okay, I am think I am the only substantially correct answer so far. It has to do with wavelength. Shorter wavelengths have trouble bending around objects and have more difficulty passing through objects ( like walls ). Longer wavelengths not only bend around larger objects and pass through walls more easily ; they are more likely to cause objects to resonate which creates more ugly sound. Imagine a car next to you with the bass turned up. The car seems to actually move up and down with the bass. No matter how high an amplitude the higher frequencies attain, they don't move the car although they may shatter a goblet inside. Cedric On Jun 27, 2007, at 12:31 PM, Lindy Mayfield wrote: It doesn't happen often, but now and again a neighbor some houses down has a party or for some reason turns up the music really loud. And it's the worse possible music to pick because it has a very loud bass drum on every beat. Probably techno. So all I hear is boom- boom-boom-boom,boom-boom-boom-boom,etc. It's worse than Chinese water torture. Anyway I was trying to understand why I only hear the bass. Is it because of the length of the wave that it travels farther or through more things than the higher notes? I was trying to make a comparison for example between AM radio waves, FM, and cell phones in the gigahertz range. Or is it because there is so much more energy in the bass? But then I though how far away one can hear a mosquito with a high pitch in a room or how far a piccolo or fife will carry. Does anyone have a theory or answer as to why the bass carries so far? At least thinking about the physics keeps me from going postal. (-: Lindy -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist