When out and about in public, how do sounds not cancel each other out?

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I get constructive and deconstructive, but those are usually in the context of being the same frequency and just being out of phase. I’m talking like…you and your bud having a conversation in a restaurant, with music playing, convos around you, sound of wait staff, etc. If a waiter drops a plate, how does that sound transit through at that higher, unique frequency through all the other noise so that all can hear it?

Thank you for your time!

In: Physics

24 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

In a similar way that light, which also interferes constructively and destructively, doesn’t all cancel each other out. There’s all kinds of frequencies and different light “waveforms” bouncing around all over each other. Most importantly, they are all kinds of different “phases”, which tells you how they match up for how well they could constructively or destructively interfere with each other.

Essentially, most of the stuff just does not match up with the right phases to destructively or constructively interfere. It just all comes through and our sensors and brain can sort it out.

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