| BENZ-LGB |
09-13-2006 06:08 PM |
I guess that I was wrong, the Brown Note (Noise) theory was tested...
Brown note
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The brown note, according to an urban legend, is an infrasonic frequency that causes humans to lose control of their bowels due to resonance. The name is actually metonymy for a common color of feces. Effective frequencies are reportedly between 5 and 9 Hz, below the audible range for humans (generally humans cannot hear sounds below about 20 Hz). However, as the supposed effects are difficult to explain through known medical science and have yet to be verifiably reproduced in a controlled environment, most medical professionals are of the opinion that the brown note, at least as described in the legend, does not exist.
The brown note is unrelated to brown noise.
Testing
The note was tested on the television show MythBusters using Meyer Sound subwoofers on par in quantity and quality with those used at major rock concerts.[1] The experimenters on the show tried a series of frequencies between 5 and 10 Hz at 120–160 dBSPL, but they were unsuccessful in producing the rumored effects. They all reported some physical anxiety and shortness of breath, even a small amount of nausea, but this was dismissed by the participants, noting that sound at that frequency and intensity moves air rapidly in and out of one's lungs.
Other researchers have noted flaws in the methodology of the experiment. Rather than test the entire spectrum below 20 Hz, the MythBusters tested only three specific frequencies: 5, 7, and 9 Hz. In addition, the strategy of surrounding the subject with speakers without accounting for phase effects could have resulted in a loss of effective power being transmitted.
Another show, Brainiac: Science Abuse, performed a similar experiment using 22.275 Hz at −30 dB (according to the show's producers used by Japan's Police and tested by the French Military). During the program, they broadcast the note over the air (and into the living rooms of viewers) in an attempt to cause bowel movements among those who had chosen to stay in the room despite repeated warnings and opportunities to leave. It should be noted, however, that no television speakers and very few subwoofers are able to accurately generate sound at this frequency at a significant volume. They also alleged to have confirmed the myth with a subject, but this subject was out of camera shot for all of the piece except at the very beginning. Using an audio editing software it can be seen that brown note doesn't exist anywhere in the soundtrack. Instead, they replaced it with a 91.8 Hz sine wave tone making it audible to the viewers, therefore not having any effect on one's bowels... .
|
