Message-Id: <v01510102b3778711e7f8@[205.134.240.103]>
Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 16:25:26 -0800
To: "Pinhole Listserv" <pinhole@exploratorium.edu>
From: bcomet@sirius.com (Burt C. Kessler)
Subject: Re: pinhole Bats' Noses
>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?
>
I have heard that the shape of our pinnae amplify human speech frequencies
up to four times. Can anyone confirm this?
The best thing about the future
is that it comes only one day at a time.
Abraham Lincoln