Travelling slower doesn't mean it'll be quieter.
Actually density isn't the only factor (sound travels faster
in water than air, for example).
Insulation works on a different basis - polysterene sheets,
for example, work because sound scatters as it passes from
one material to another. Put lots of interfaces like that together
and the sound can be lost completely. A vacumn insulates because
there are no vibrating molecules to carry the sound, and thick glass
works because the whole material vibrates with the sound (and so
the energy goes into conpressing the glass and isn't transmitted
like with a metal sheet.
That's why a polysterene horn isn't a good idea (although if mellophones
were all made from it, the world would be a lot more tunefull).
Glass horns could be fun - what better way to end a dramatic solo than
having your horn shatter as you hit the top D?
Tim (also an ex-low temp physicist)
Paul Mansur wrote:
Sound
(vibration) will travel slower through denser materials.
That's my guess. It's been a few years.
I think it's the other way 'round. Otherwise we would use cast iron
for sound insulation material.
Cheers, Paul Mansur
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