From: "Sidney Keith" <sidkeith@hotmail.com>
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
Subject: Bats' Noses
Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 08:51:43 PDT
I went with my class to the Academy of Sciences recently and visited the bat
exhibit. The intricate lobes and whirls on the bats' noses were amazing, due
(according to a lecturer on bats I heard) to their function of reflecting
precisely the sonar signals sent out by the bats. That reminded me of
arguably our most amusing parts, our ears and earlobes. Does anyone know a
reason why the physics of sound waves requires such funny shapes on bats'
faces and our ears? Do curved shapes reflect waves more precisely than sharp
angles or flat surfaces, and if so how?
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