Re: Re: Golden Section and


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Eric Bamberg on February 29, 2004 at 20:18:54:

In Reply to: Re: Golden Section and posted by Rick Denney on February 29, 2004 at 14:38:00:

I don't see a connection between a belief that human nature causes people to conspire and a belief that certain numbers have a guiding effect on our lives. Nobody can deny that organized crime has existed, does exist, and will continue to exist. It is based upon a structure where the underlings don't know who they work for, plus the credible threat of death to anyone who challenges or reveals the conspiracy. The reason organized crime isn't entirely successful is because it is still one level below government with its vast resources to investigate and police such behavior. There is no international investigative and policing force, so organized crime on the scale of government can be entirely successful if it uses the right structure and threat of death to keep its members complicit and silent. In fact it seems that upper-level conspiracies are the only ones that can work in that they are so large they can control the government investigative bodies. If it were not for investigative bodies, you would probably never hear about any scandal (aka conspiracy that is no longer secret).

I suppose there is a definition of magic that includes conspiracy. How about a definition of magic as that which exploits s flaw in human perception and reasoning so that cause and effect become disconnected. How did the rabbit get into the hat? How did the numerologists prediction that I would fall in love in 3 days come true? How come Mach 2.5 fighter jets scrambled late on 9/11/2001 averaged 450mph trying to intercept planes that cruise at 550mph? The answer, of course, is that you have been tricked into disconnecting cause and effect. You didn't notice the magician sticking the rabbit in the hat as his lovely assistant was bending over!

The golden ratio as it applies to acoustics is usually used to spread harmonic resonances as far apart as possible so that one resonance doesn't reinforce another. Speaker boxes are often designed with their internal dimensions conforming to the ratios .62:1:1.62 or thereabouts so that the harmonic resonances from waves resonating between two of the parallel walls will not coincide with harmonic resonances from waves reflecting along the other two dimensions. That ratio seems to work the best for avoiding coincident harmonics.

I can think of a couple ways that this could possibly apply to tubas. Each length of straight and curved pipe that forms the tuba can impart its own characteristic harmonic resonance to the sound, so it might make sense to make each larger bend and straight section 1.62 times as wide or as long as the one previous. Also, if the horn has any mechanical resonances with harmonics, it might make sense to try to tune the fundamental resonances to the golden ratio. I'm really just grasping at straws here, and I don't see much real benefit to be gained from using a ratio that spreads harmonics apart to design an instrument that operates by using harmonics together.

-Eric Bamberg


Follow Ups: