Subwoofers in foggy weather: Voodoo bass effect?

[Mr. Opportunist 10+ year member]

I really dont know how to describe it, hell I really dont know what "it" is to begin with but Ill try to describe what I just experienced.
While driving back home from class in extremely foggy weather, it seemed as if my system audibly gained 3dbs+ . Its as if the more foggy the area became the louder my system appeared to be. Like the amp had pumped out an additional 300+ watts rms to each sub. With that said....

What the hell is this effect/phenomena called and why havent I heard about it before?

I know sound is kinda warped in foggy weather, so could this be the cause?

Any sceintific explainations?

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif sorry that is all i have to say...

I wish 300w would gain me 3+db wow would life be easy...

 

[Vadude 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif sorry that is all i have to say...
I wish 300w would gain me 3+db wow would life be easy...

Two words, voodoo fog, thats all I have to say.

Nothing else on this earth like it, aside from thundersnow.

 

[air_odie 10+ year member]

don't make fun of thundersnow ....daXn MI will start a feb day with t storms and end with snow, next morning your diging out in a mix of rain snow sleet and thunder

 

[imaspaceguy90 10+ year member]

The fog probably is keepin the music in like screaming inside a blanket.

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Hm, I thought humidity would have a damping effect, and my guess was a lower noise-floor.

But hey, science for the win, right.

Clearing snow off your trunk / roof / windshiled wipers with a fifteen is where it's at. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[NDMstang65 10+ year member]

Sound travels the fastes through air. Have you ever hit one of those five gallon ozark jugs with water? they rattle for 30-45seconds, empty its a lot less. I am no scientest (I'm in 10th grade chemistry right now) but I think that the dense humid air could have some affect on how fast the sound waves travel. Normal air (70 degrez that kind of weather) the sound waves probably disspate a lot faster then they would if it was humid air...

again this is probably all wrong, I just pulled it out of logic, remeber kids logic isn't science.. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/blush.gif.99bc659ee2012b7d826165e26fb5eebe.gif :blush:

No no no

http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/Physics4.html

Sound travels fastest through a solid...liquid being next, and a gas (air) being dead last. Generally speaking of course, due to varying density and the molecular arragement...and how tight the bonds of the atoms are...

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Speed of sound at sea level:

340.29 meters per second (761 miles per hour)[/b]

Speed of sound in water:

1,482 meters per second (about 3,315 mph).

Sonic booms under water?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=underwater+sonic+boom

 

[swimfreak26 10+ year member]

No no no
http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/Physics4.html

Sound travels fastest through a solid...liquid being next, and a gas (air) being dead last. Generally speaking of course, due to varying density and the molecular arragement...and how tight the bonds of the atoms are...

Was about to say the same thing.

Sound travels through the interactions of particles - the more densly packed the molecules in a network, the faster sound can move. Now, in a medium such as air, sound will travel farther than in a solid, but much much slower.

Now, as to my explanation of the phenomenon. I am going to call it a damping affect. Assuming you did not have your windows open it'd be safe to assume that you had a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the car. With more dense air on the outside your car would be "pushed" in. Mass loading is the main concept (although there's a lot more to it) in damping...you add mass to body panels, they vibrate less and transmit less sound - keeping more in your vehicle. Now, the dense air could act as mass loading on your entire car, in effect keeping more sound in that when the panels don't have that extra force on them.

Not sure if this is the real explanation, but it's logical to me.

 

[headless 10+ year member]

maybe it wasnt fog and it was smoke? from weed? and you were high? just a thought.lol

el o el.

 

[Vadude 10+ year member]

Now, as to my explanation of the phenomenon. I am going to call it a damping affect. Assuming you did not have your windows open it'd be safe to assume that you had a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the car. With more dense air on the outside your car would be "pushed" in. Mass loading is the main concept (although there's a lot more to it) in damping...you add mass to body panels, they vibrate less and transmit less sound - keeping more in your vehicle. Now, the dense air could act as mass loading on your entire car, in effect keeping more sound in that when the panels don't have that extra force on them.

Not sure if this is the real explanation, but it's logical to me.

. .

That might be right. All I know is my left ear has stopped hurting.. haha

this needed to be its own episode when x files was on the air.