Using Sound
Dr Helen Czerski examines the extraordinary messages sound waves carry and how they help us understand the world around us.
Dr Helen Czerski examines the extraordinary messages sound waves carry and how they help us understand the world around us.
Visiting a hidden location buried beneath the hills of Scotland, Helen experiences some of the most extreme acoustics in the world. Here she learns just how much information can be carried by sound. She discovers how sound has driven the evolution of truly incredible biological systems and complex relationships between creatures that exploit sound for hunting - and escaping from predators. Helen demonstrates how sound waves diffract (bend around objects) and in doing so help us sense danger and locate it.
Through the story of a cochlea implant patient Helen explores the complicated way our ears can translate sound waves - a physical vibration in the air - into an electrical signal our brain can understand.
Helen explains how we are not limited to passively detecting sound waves, we can also use them to actively probe the world. From detecting submarines to uncovering the secrets of our planet, sound waves are instrumental in revealing things hidden from the world of light. On the cold North Sea, Helen investigates how marine archaeologists are using sound waves to uncover the remarkable human stories buried beneath the sea. Yet we are not limited to using sound waves here on Earth, as Helen explains how sound has been used to better understand distant, alien worlds in the outer solar system.
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Music Played
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Gregory Hoepffner
Blaze
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Stefano Ruggeri
Bent and Broken
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Helen Czerski |
Producer | Suzy Boyles |
Director | Suzy Boyles |
Executive Producer | Jonathan Renouf |
Broadcasts
- Thu 9 Mar 2017 21:00
- Fri 10 Mar 2017 02:55
- Sun 12 Mar 2017 22:40
- Wed 19 Jul 2017 22:00
- Wed 20 Sep 2017 22:00
- Fri 29 Jun 2018 01:30
- Thu 11 Jul 2019 00:00
- Sun 23 May 2021 20:00
- Mon 24 May 2021 00:30
- Mon 27 Jun 2022 01:45
Explore more about the science behind sounds and how we hear, with The Open University
Try the OU's sea shell experiment, to find out why we think we can hear the waves.