Sound is something of an ephemeral phenomenon, existing in the moment that vibrations travel through the air. Those vibrations also exhibit distinct patterns, depending on frequency, which can be ...

Ever since ancient times, scholars have puzzled over the reasons that some musical note combinations sound so sweet while others are just downright dreadful. The Greeks believed that simple ratios in ...

Previous correspondence on this topic refers to the different patterns of overtones that enable us to distinguish one instrument from another. This isn’t the only factor involved. Many years ago when ...

When two notes are an octave apart, one has double the frequency of the other yet we perceive them as being the same note – a “C” for example. Why is this? Readers give their take This question has a ...

Alison Cole does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

There are some iconic movie title cards out there, but perhaps none as monumental as that of THX, the Lucasfilm subsidiary whose logo accompanies that huge swelling sound you’ve definitely heard ...

X-ray image of the core of the Perseus cluster. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/E.Bulbul, et al. DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION Ridley Scott’s Alien might have you believe that there is no sound in space.