Stream of light
The topmost note, for example (0.0,
violet)
has a frequency (F) of 7.8e14 cycles per second, or Hertz,
and a duration (D) which is the reciprocal of that frequency (1/F)
or 1.3e-15 seconds per cycle.
has a frequency (F) of 7.8e14 cycles per second, or Hertz,
and a duration (D) which is the reciprocal of that frequency (1/F)
or 1.3e-15 seconds per cycle.
(Scientific notation compresses
780,000,000,000,000 to 7.8 * 10^14, and then further to 7.8e14, where 'e'
stands for 'exponent'. And 1.3 * 10^-15 is thus 0.000,000,000,000,001,3 . These
two numbers multiplied together equal one, aka 1.0e0.)
Light at this frequency has a
wavelength (L) of 3.8e-7 meters
but sound at the same frequency, traveling 850,000 times slower
would have a wavelength 850,000 times shorter (about 20 octaves)
which wavelength we'll call 'S': 4.5e-13 meters.
Since light of this wavelength would be considered gamma radiation,
we might call the equivalent sound 'acoustic gamma'.
but sound at the same frequency, traveling 850,000 times slower
would have a wavelength 850,000 times shorter (about 20 octaves)
which wavelength we'll call 'S': 4.5e-13 meters.
Since light of this wavelength would be considered gamma radiation,
we might call the equivalent sound 'acoustic gamma'.
(The speed of sound in air depends
on the temperature: to get the mnemonically-handy ratio of 850,000, we have to
specify air at body temperature, 98.6°F or 37°C.)
First octave:
0.0 F=7.8e14Hz
L=3.8e-7m I=380bytes S=4.5e 13m
D=1.3e 15seconds
3.8e-7 meters (L) is 380 nanometers
(nm) or 3800 Angstroms. An Angstrom is the distance spanned by a small atom, so
the wavelength of violet light is comparable to a row of 3800 atoms. A stretch
of DNA 380 nanometers long would be able to encode 380 amino acids. If we ever decide
to use DNA for data storage ('I' for information) we could fit 380 bytes into
the same stretch. This is the approximate length of the Lord's Prayer in its
more-or-less original Greek.
4.5e-14 meters (S) is 45 femtometers,
where ten protons or neutrons span one femtometer, so the wavelength of sound
at the frequency of violet light, in air at 37°C, is as wide as 450 neutrons.
This is much bigger than the largest atomic nucleus, but much smaller than the
smallest atom. ('Strings' are believed to be so much smaller than neutrons that
this same distance could hold 5e22 strings.)
For Example:
D: age of humans with fire
95.4 F=1.5e-14Hz
L=2.0e22m S=2.4e16m D=2.1e06years
95.5 F=1.4e-14Hz
L=2.2e22m S=2.5e16m D=2.3e06years
L: Sun to Andromeda galaxy
95.6 F=1.3e-14Hz
L=2.3e22m S=2.7e16m D=2.4e06years
95.7 F=1.2e-14Hz
L=2.5e22m S=2.9e16m D=2.6e06years
95.8 F=1.1e-14Hz
L=2.6e22m S=3.1e16m
D=2.8e06years
95.9 F=1.1e-14Hz
L=2.8e22m S=3.4e16m D=3.0e06years
S: Sun to Alpha Centauri
96.3 F=8.0e-15Hz
L=3.7e22m S=4.4e16m D=4.0e06years
96.4 F=7.5e-15Hz
L=4.0e22m S=4.7e16m D=4.2e06years
S: Sun to Saturn
81.5 F=2.3e-10Hz
L=1.3e18m S=1.6e12m D=1.4e02years
81.6 F=2.1e-10Hz
L=1.4e18m S=1.7e12m D=1.5e02years
D: oldest tortoise
81.7 F=2.0e-10Hz
L=1.5e18m S=1.8e12m D=1.6e02years
F: Neptune's year
81.8 F=1.9e-10Hz
L=1.6e18m S=1.9e12m D=1.7e02years
81.9 F=1.7e-10Hz
L=1.7e18m S=2.0e12m D=1.8e02years
82 F=1.6e-10Hz
L=1.9e18m S=2.2e12m D=2.0e02years
82.1 F=1.5e-10Hz
L=2.0e18m S=2.4e12m D=2.1e02years
82.2 F=1.4e-10Hz
L=2.1e18m S=2.5e12m D=2.3e02years
F: Pluto's year
82.3 F=1.3e-10Hz
L=2.3e18m S=2.7e12m D=2.4e02years
82.4 F=1.2e-10Hz
L=2.5e18m S=2.9e12m D=2.6e02years
82.5 F=1.1e-10Hz
L=2.6e18m S=3.1e12m D=2.8e02years
82.6 F=1.1e-10Hz
L=2.8e18m S=3.3e12m D=3.0e02years
82.7 F=9.9e-11Hz
L=3.0e18m S=3.6e12m D=3.2e02years
82.8 F=9.3e-11Hz
L=3.2e18m S=3.8e12m D=3.4e02years
82.9 F=8.7e-11Hz
L=3.5e18m S=4.1e12m D=3.7e02years
83 F=8.1e-11Hz
L=3.7e18m S=4.4e12m D=3.9e02years
L: Sun to Pleiades
83.1 F=7.5e-11Hz
L=4.0e18m S=4.7e12m D=4.2e02years
D: age of science
83.2 F=7.0e-11Hz
L=4.3e18m S=5.0e12m D=4.5e02years
D: age of Reformation
83.3 F=6.6e-11Hz
L=4.6e18m S=5.4e12m D=4.8e02years
SI: all human thoughts, ever
81.1 F=3.0e-10Hz
L=1.0e18m S=1.2e12m D=1.1e02years
81.2 F=2.8e-10Hz
L=1.1e18m S=1.3e12m D=1.1e02years
F: human generation
79.1 F=1.2e-09Hz
L=2.5e17m S=2.9e11m D=2.6e01years
S: Sun to Earth
78.3 F=2.1e-09Hz
L=1.4e17m S=1.7e11m D=1.5e01years
78.4 F=2.0e-09Hz
L=1.5e17m S=1.8e11m D=1.6e01years
78.5 F=1.8e-09Hz
L=1.6e17m S=1.9e11m D=1.7e01years
F: transits of Venus
77.5 F=3.7e-09Hz
L=8.2e16m S=9.7e10m D=8.7e00years
77.6 F=3.4e-09Hz
L=8.8e16m S=1.0e11m D=9.3e00years
L: Sun to Alpha Centauri
76.6 F=6.8e-09Hz
L=4.4e16m S=5.2e10m D=4.6e00years
F: ave. asteroid's year
76.7 F=6.4e-09Hz
L=4.7e16m S=5.6e10m D=5.0e00years
76.8 F=5.9e-09Hz
L=5.1e16m S=6.0e10m D=5.3e00years
76.9 F=5.5e-09Hz
L=5.4e16m S=6.4e10m D=5.7e00years
F: human cell culture 2x
65.6 F=1.4e-05Hz
L=2.1e13m S=2.5e07m D=2.0e01hours
65.7
F=1.3e-05Hz L=2.3e13m
S=2.7e07m D=2.1e01hours
65.8 F=1.2e-05Hz
L=2.5e13m S=2.9e07m D=2.3e01hours
65.9 F=1.1e-05Hz
L=2.6e13m S=3.1e07m D=1.0e00days
(ref. Jorn Barger, March 2005)
