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Hands-On-Physics
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Core
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- The Story - |
It's another wintry day. I'm sitting
by the large windows in the library waiting for the late bus. Outside, rain
is falling through a thick, swirling mist as the afternoon darkens into
evening. As the school slowly fades from view, the change of light nudges
my thoughts toward Gwen.
A week ago, she returned from the
university hospital, and I learned that she is slowly losing her sight.
She is wearing glasses now that compensate for the vision loss that has
already occurred. However, she remains depressed and withdrawn. At times,
she seems to want company. At other times, she clearly wants to be alone.
Since her first night back, she isn't very talkative. I try to be flexible
and bend with her moods.
A week ago, I also started a sound
unit in my science class. Today, we finished the messing around section.
My reaction to this first part is mixed. I enjoyed the challenge of building
electronic circuits and creating pictures of sound waves. The idea of visualizing
sound has struck a chord in my imagination. As I hear new sounds, I find
myself creating mental images of the waves.
I have also
learned more about the role of the brain in hearing. Because of my increased
interest in sound, I actually seem to be "hearing more". Without
telling me, my brain has been automatically filtering out certain sounds.
How surprising! A sound can reach your ear, but you still don't hear! Now
that I am focusing on sound, the filters are being removed. Suddenly I'm
living in a world that is much richer in sounds.
In other
ways, the first part of the sound unit was disappointing. I was hoping to
learn about how Gwen could substitute sound for sight. The whole idea of
"visualizing" sound seems contrary to this goal. In addition,
I am increasingly aware of an unconscious bias towards sight in most people.
Our school and larger society seem designed for sighted individuals. Do
you "see" what I mean? The challenge facing Gwen may be greater
than I first suspected.
We will be starting the core project
of the sound unit tomorrow. This section seems more relevant to the problem
of using sound to get around. We will be studying how a sound gets softer
as you move away from its source. If loudness decreases in a regular way,
then it could be used like a range finder. Combined with the ability to
locate the direction of a sound, it seems like navigation based solely on
sound might be possible. Of course, it has to be possible somehow. People
do it everyday. I'd just like to know how.
To be continued...