• Question: what is louder a baby crying through a trombone through a megaphone or a t-rex roaring through a microphone in the o2?

    Asked by tinkerbell to Francesca, Laura, Matthew, Andrew, Rebecca on 10 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Andrew McKinley

      Andrew McKinley answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      What an odd question!
      I think in terms of pure “power output”, the t-rex is going to win – even without the amplification.
      A baby’s cry however – there is evidence to suggest that we have evolved to be particularly sensitive to this frequency, and why we find it so upsetting to hear a baby in distress – it is our ‘calling’ to do what we can to comfort a crying child.

    • Photo: Laura Schofield

      Laura Schofield answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      I love this question!
      I would have to say that the t-rex would win (though I guess it depends if the microphone is switched on!) but the baby’s crying would be more distressing. As Andrew said, we are tuned to react to a baby crying so I’d be more inclined to help the baby and run away from the t-rex!!

    • Photo: Matthew Camilleri

      Matthew Camilleri answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      Well, without the amplifications the t-rex would win hands down (although I do not think anyone has ever heard a t-rex roar).

      With those amplification I think the baby might actually be louder since none of the sound originating from the cry would be lost between the baby and trombone sound passage, and the trombone and megaphone relay. On the other hand I don’t think it would be possible to direct the t-rexes roar towards a microphone that would be able to extract all the sound from the roar, so much of the roar would then be lost to the surroundings.

    • Photo: Francesca Palombo

      Francesca Palombo answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      I guess the t-rex, although a crying baby may seem louder to their parents (absolutely mad at having him/her stopping)!

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