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Re: That hiss

Subject: Re: That hiss
From: Mike Feldman <>
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 18:59:44 -0600
Walter Knapp wrote:

>>>> I suppose at absolute zero there will also be no sound, i.e. no 
>>>> molecular movement.
> 
> At absolute zero the mic diaphragm would probably shatter from just a 
> gas particle hitting it.

Even if it didn't shatter, it wouldn't be at absolute zero anymore
after it was hit.

> ... Though that is one of the types of self noise,
> the impact sounds from thermal movement of the gas particles.
> 
> Of course when you start talking about sound on a particle by particle 
> basis then things get funny.

Walt, you didn't take long to get to my point.  Even when air (or any
other sound medium) is "perfectly still", it isn't perfectly still,
it's just perfectly average in it's (partical) motion.

>  It takes the hits of multiple particles to 
> make a waveform, or so it would seem.

Thank Avagadro that there's plenty of air molecules in even
in a microscopicly small volume of air.


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