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
Not very ELI5 but your ear is able to do a reverse Fourier transform, that is, to decompose a complex sound wave into multiple simpler waves. To cancel a sound wave you would need to play the exact same frequency with inverted amplitude and this is what noise cancelling headphones do. Otherwise, the waves just stack up in very specific ways and this is information that we are able to perceive.
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