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	Topics Astronomy Atomic clocks Bridges Calculators Earth's magnetic field Electricity Engineering Engines Fluids Gravity Lightning Measurement and real-life Miscellany Nobel Prize winners Optics Particle physics Physics meets biology Physics meets Earth science Scientist biographies Semiconductors and computers Sound Spacecraft Theme park physics Thermodynamics Tides Units of measurement		Topic: Sound All about contrabass A site devoted to the instruments that play the lowest of the low notes. Changing your voice The speed of sound is greater in helium than in air, which can create unusual and entertaining results. Earthquake waves Earthquakes occur when "faults" in the Earth slip, creating complex and potentially destructive waves in the ground. Low frequency organ notes The organ in the Syndey Town Hall can produce a low note at a frequency of 8 Hertz, which can be felt but not heard. Snapping a whip The "crack" of a whip is created by causing the tip of the whip to travel faster than the speed of sound. It is a miniature sonic boom. Sound from a black hole Astronomers have discovered sound coming from a black hole in the form of waves through the matter surrounding it. Sound in the ocean This extensive site discusses all the aspects of sound in the ocean, including navigation by sound, the sound channel (through which sound can travel for thousands of miles), and whalesong. Synthesizing musical sounds Music synthesizers combine sinusoidal waves to create complex musical waveforms. A technique called Fourier analysis can be used to determine the amount of each harmonic to contribute to the final waveform. What does a sonic boom look like? An amazing photo of a cloud forming around a plane due to a sonic boom.