I bike a lot (living in Netherlands), and it’s usually very windy out here. Whenever I have my headphones on, I can always hear the wind going past my ears.
What I noticed today when I was checking my surroundings was that, when my head is turned perpendicular to the direction I’m headed, either to the right or left, I don’t hear the wind anymore. The noise is gone in both my ears, the one facing the direction the bike is going and the one facing back, Why does this happen? I can imagine drag is somewhat involved but I don’t really get the full picture…
In: 10
When moving in a direction relative to the wind, if you’re facing into the wind, your ears are on the side of your head. This means the wind is flowing past them rapidly. If you turn your head, then your ears are either facing into or away from the motion of the air. This means there is no relative motion at your ears and that relative motion is what causes the noise.
The air in front of your head is moving slower because your head is in the way. The air slows down when it changes directions to go around. The other ear is quiet because your head drags some turbulent air behind in the space it made as it went through the air. When you face forward your ears are right next to the open air. Open air goes right past
You’re hearing turbulence in the air caused by your head moving through it. When you turn your head 90 degrees, the one pointing into the wind is in a consistent high pressure area, and the one pointing away is in a consistent low pressure area.
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