YFCF Neckhair Chronicles: Dopplerville
choir 1
clap. whistle. I'm travelling.
gone. now. can you show me the next
crash. shattering. highway. next to me I see
signpost. bells. turnoff. next to you I see
fences. rumble. headlights. followed by the next
clap. rain. slow.
waiting in the distance
ringing horses siren circle current
slower
faster
higher
waves
cycles
seconds
speed
wind
trumpet
impact
racing
raise
suspension
direction
horns
echo
frequency
passing
fading
falling
calling
too far
off ramp
can you show me how to get to the next
(whispering)
"I can only see that the water moves more swiftly than before."
"I try to imagine the background exists."
"I look into the mirror but everything is becoming flat today!"
"It is no longer possible to step in."
narrator: The Doppler Effect
In keeping with our recent lecture series on light and sound and how they travel it is important to note that the quality of the original matter that is to say the state that this light or sound was in before it began to travel and how this state is altered by the travelling itself. One of the more well-known examples of this phenomenon of 'change' deals with sound.
Now let us refer to the situation of sound in terms of waves for example waves on the ocean.
We have all been to the beach as small children and enjoyed playing in the waves which rushed up to our feet only to recede again seconds later. I myself remember having a red and white striped bathing suit which my mother had bought in a very expensive department store but which the other children made fun of. In fact this suit hindered me to such a degree that to this day I am unable to swim and suffer from a fear of the ocean. Fortunately living in a land-locked country this irrational fear goes by relatively unnoticed by my friends with the exception of an occasional tropical film or travel poster that may cause a mild trembling to occur in my upper body.
In other words, although these waves are familiar to us, their actions are extremely complex. Ocean waves originate in the action of the wind and carry with them a considerable amount of energy. At Wick, Scotland for example a great storm occurred in 1872 in which an entire sea wall was broken hurling pieces of concrete that weighed as much as 2600 tons into the air.
Simply amazing, isn't it?
(But what does all this have to do with sound travelling?)
The Doppler Effect is a phenomenon of sound first observed by German-born Austrian physicist C. J. Doppler in the year 1842. Doppler observed that sound originating from a central point travels in waves or concentric circles which expand in such a way that they move from a fast to a slow rate. This change in velocity means that the hertz rate is going down as the wave cycles per second become larger. The effect this has on the listener is a drop in the relative pitch of the original sound. This diagram will demonstrate the effect in its most simple form.
Have you ever noticed that the siren of a speeding police car which passes your window appears to increase in pitch as the vehicle approaches and decrease in pitch as the vehicle speeds away?
Doppler himself attempted to demonstrate this phenomenon by placing a marching band on a horse cart and speeding past a group of observers.
The experiment was a success.
v1[bprofessor]: The Experiment
tuesday 7AM
Up early this morning because it was necessary to get the horses together and well fed before daylight. We have a long journey ahead of us and it will take quite a toll on an already overworked crew. Thus I have taken it upon myself to organise these final preparations and to make sure everything is in order. Today we begin! I hope I am not too optimistic about the things which will follow.
wednesday Midnight
We have come quite a distance at a considerable cost. One of the horses seems to have taken ill and is resting separately from the others. I hope this will not effect the experiment. It may be necessary to acquire fresh horses when we arrive at Dopplerville. Speed is of the utmost importance.
thursday 11PM
Sunshine this morning followed by a slow building storm from the east which chased us across the plains. By late afternoon a loud clap of thunder announced the heavy rains which descended upon us continuing into the night. Despite the foul weather the men are in good spirits.
After dinner I chatted with the driver. It seems the third horse still a bit slower than the others. If all goes without complications we shall be in Dopplerville by tomorrow evening.
friday 1AM
It is difficult to sleep from all the excitement.
We arrived safely in Dopplerville by mid-afternoon. There was quite a commotion generated by our appearance in the town square. It seems that the bandstand has already been built! As I was examining the handiwork of the arena the mayor stepped forward to make my acquaintance. Just at this moment the third horse dropped dead on the spot. (Stupid creature-what does it matter? We can simply get another.) People are lining up all day to volunteer for the experiment. Even the flags are flying at city hall. Oh lucky day!
saturday 7AM
Up early with many preparations for tomorrow. Today I will meet with the doctor who will examine the group of volunteers we have chosen. He is an ear, nose and throat specialist who was hand picked by the mayor himself.
I have sent my best man to assist in the examination (in the hopes that no funny business is going on). It is very important that all of our subjects meet the necessary health requirements.
later
Received a telegram from Mina pledging her support. She is truly an angel.
It is unfortunate that she cannot be here for I know how she loves a marching band. I only hope that all goes well for her sake if nothing else. Success in this experiment would surely mean a change in our lives.
10PM
Had dinner with the men in a kind of 'knights-of-the-round-table' fashion. Their dedication to the project touches my heart. All the volunteers passed the hearing test with the exception of one eighty-five year old man who has since then been replaced by his grandson. Tonight we ended our meal with a toast to victory.
Only tomorrow shall we know the truth.
v2 [Mina's dream]: The Summer Vacation
It was summer and we were in Spain in a large square man made lake surrounded by caf�s. People were paddling around in peddle-boats enjoying the sun.
It was very hot.
You were wearing a red and white striped bathing suit.
I just kept staring across the water.
Suddenly I wanted to go to the other side.
We jumped in, swimming in between the boats. People paddled by laughing or ordering more cocktails from waiter in little floating seats.
When we reached the first room I realised I never saw you without your shirt on. You were ready to let go but I couldn't accept the invitation (knowing the trouble it would cause later).
Your caress tempting me like a piece of cake.
When you lifted me up onto the tiles I felt my skin tingling in a strange way. When I looked down I could see I was covered with leeches. I tried to pull them off. I could feel them on my back as I leaned against the wall, the shells cracking and dropping back into the water: a false, clear, artificial blue.
I watched the small waves made by the boats passing in a uniform way while you took off the ones I couldn't reach.
No one looked into the passageway because they thought we were lovers.
Sitting there shivering on the tiles I tried to picture the rest of my life. I couldn't even imagine how I would get out of the pool.
The next hour like the next five years: unimportant.
choir 2: Maria's accident
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
On her hand she wore a series of silver bracelets given to her on the day of her high school graduation.
When she saw her neighbour signalling with the blinds, she went to the kitchen window.
"Your father is coming" her neighbour warned.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
In the other room the television news was giving the weather forecast. Tomorrow it would be cloudy with a 13% chance of rain.
When she turned to the window to signal her neighbour she heard her father's heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
She opened a beer for her father but realised he was not at home.
In the other room the television news was giving the weather forecast. She thought about the weather on the day of her high school graduation.
It had been cloudy with a 13% chance of rain.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
It had been raining for days.
When her neighbour signalled her she held up a can of beer and pointed to the door.
"Your father is coming" her neighbour warned.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
When her neighbour signalled with the blinds she looked out the window and noticed it was still raining. She could hear the television forecast in the other room.
She knew her father would be home soon.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time. she felt nervous in the house and wished her father would come home soon.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
She was thinking about making a potato fritata but decided that she had to wait until her father came home. Instead she opened a beer and went back toward the sound of the television to check the weather forecast which was just coming on.
When she turned to leave the kitchen the neighbour began signalling with the blind.
"There's someone in the house" her neighbour warned.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time. Distracted by the weather report she dropped a can of beer on the floor.
She knew her father would be angry so she decided to make him a potato fritata.
When she took out the eggs she dropped them too.
At this moment she heard her father's heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
When she turned to the window her neighbour began signalling with the blind.
"Tomorrow the weather will be cloudy with a 13% chance of rain" her neighbour warned.
Maria went to the refrigerator and opened the door for the second time.
Since it had been raining off and on for weeks she decided to put the plants outside. When she turned to leave the kitchen her neighbour tapped on the window and pointed to a beer can.
"Your father is coming" she warned.
All this material is property of Young Farmers Claim Future and may only be abused with permission:
Young Farmers Claim Future
Herbert Van de Sompel & Guy c. Jules Van Belle & Robin Ford
Herbert.VandeSompel@rug.ac.be
& Guy.VanBelle@rug.ac.be
&
TheBlind@aol.com
