The Magical Sound Mrs. Vaishali Joshi I am always intrigued by our traditions and customs and believe that there is always some scientific reason behind all our traditions. In our formative years, my grandmother used to tell us interesting stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata and also its analysis and the underlying meaning and explanation for all the actions. So, I was convinced that our ancestors were indeed very advanced and knowledgeable.
Recently, our Hon. Prime Minister, in the wake of covid-19 pandemic, requested the citizens to clap or ring the bell or conch for all the Doctors, Policemen and the other entire essential services workforce as a token of gratitude for providing service to all the needy people despite the dangers and perils of getting infected themselves. It must have really boosted their morale but I again started wondering why do we really clap or ring the bell/conch during Aarti at home or temple. Does it have any significance? Some people say ringing the bell removes negativity, some say it unites the left brain and the right brain while some others say, it activates the seven kundalinis or chakras of the human body, provided the bell is made of the right composition of the metal alloy and it echoes for 7 seconds when rung once. I gathered some more information on “sound” and put forth here some interesting facts about it without going into much detail. Please note that I am not supporting any belief or not saying anywhere that clapping or any of the above can eliminate or minimize the impact of any kind of virus. In all probability, the call of Hon. Prime Minister was likely to have the “Placebo effect” to maintain positivity in this hour of grim.
As everyone knows, sound and Heat are both forms of energy. Sound waves propagate by momentary compression and expansion of air molecules. Initially Sound waves are structured but become disorderly over time as they bounce into other molecules over a huge area that’s completely disorganized. This dissipated sound energy now takes the form of heat. Now if heat is added to something, it raises its temperature.
However, sound carries a relatively low amount of energy. Let us see how much sound energy may be required to raise the temperature of 1 cup of coffee (around .25 lit) Assume that an average person shouts at 80 decibels, which carries along with it about .001 watts of energy. So, if the person shouts for 1 second, the coffee would be warmer by .00000095 degrees Celsius. In general,
Q = m · c · (Tf – Ti) Where, Q is the energy in Joules m is the mass of the object, c is the specific heat capacity of the object which is constant and unique for every substance,
Ti is the initial temperature and
Tf the final temperature Assuming ideal conditions, like no losses in energy transfer, insulated cup etc. Shown below is a sample calculation to raise the temperature of water of 0.25 lit (0.25Kg) from a 25 C to 75 C. The temperature constant for water is 4200.
Q = 0.25 kg * 4200 (75f - 25i) = .25kg · 4200 · 50°C = 52,000 Joules Another equation goes like this Q = P · t Where P is power in Joules and t is the time. We know that we need 52,000 joules to heat the coffee, and that shouting at an average 80 decibels produces .001 watts of energy, substituting in the above equation gives us t = Q / P t = 52000 / .001 = 52,000,000 seconds which is 601 days and 20 hours 26 minutes and 40 seconds In other words to heat .25 l of coffee by 50 C it would take: 1 year, 7 months, 26 days, 20 hours, 26 minutes and 40 seconds It is of course, impractical but the reason why I am stating this is that theoretically it is possible to produce heat from sound. Difficult as it may be, but sound can produce heat, as it carries energy, howsoever little.
When the supersonic jets increase their speed and break the sound barrier, they do so over sea or desert region so that the resultant loud sound does no harm to the inhabited area. Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, director of Medical Oncology and Integrative Medicine, the Cornell Cancer Prevention Center in New York, talking on “Sonotherapy” says that sound is heard not only through our ears but through every cell in our bodies. One reason sound heals on a physical level is because it so deeply touches and transforms us on the emotional and spiritual planes. Sound can redress imbalances on every level of physiologic functioning and can play a positive role in the treatment of virtually any medical disorder.” In sound healing, resonance principles are engaged to re-harmonize cells. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is used to break Kidney stones. High-energy sound waves pass through the body without injuring it and break the stone into small pieces. lithotripter shock waves have a broad frequency spectrum, some of these frequencies may coincide with the natural frequency of the kidney stone. Vibrations inside the stone can increase due to this (Resonance Principle) resulting into breakage of the stone. Sound waves can definitely be used for heating of matter. High intensity ultrasound waves are (among other applications) used for internal heating of parts of the human body for medical therapy of a number of conditions
Our music system is also very scientific, with an explanation, approved by modern science, for the arousal of several feelings by music. Different tunes produce sounds of different frequencies. Such frequency disturbances can produce amazing effects, like cracking of glass (the famous example of Opera singer), inducing nausea, etc. and probably disturbances in weather conditions.
Another scientific explanation lies in the phenomenon called Resonance. When the natural frequencies of two objects match, they resonate and vibrate violently. Even in a Tanpura, one of the middle two strings may be tuned with the help of harmonium and the other one which is to be tuned at the same frequency; may be tuned by placing a paper rider. If both the strings are tuned correctly, the paper rider will fall off upon striking the adjacent string. This explains why the wine glass may crack upon matching of frequency of the opera singer and the natural frequency of glass or why soldiers don’t march in unison over a bridge. The amplitude or energy is also highest in resonance like the tidal resonance of Bristol Channel, which has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world.
The legendry singer Tansen may have mastered this art of picking up the frequency and generating resonance through severe meditation concentration and riyaz. Is it impossible then that Tansen lit the lamps by singing Deepak Raga or invoke rains with Raga Megh Malhar?