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I have a solid, realistic explanation why you can hear other spacecraft and explosions in movies like Star Wars! ^_^

godelski 8y ago
Because there's no such thing as a perfect vacuum? Because when there's an explosion there's also an expanding medium that sounds can travel through?
- Kye 8y ago
  I was going to say synesthesia. I'm not sure I heard every ship I remember having sound.
- cevn 8y ago
  Is it true that there's no such thing as a perfect vacuum? How much 'stuff' is in vacuum on average to make it impure? Sorry if these are stupid questions.
  - NikolaeVarius 8y ago
    http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1968PASJ...20..230T http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1968PASJ...20..230T A few atoms per cubic meter, but yeah, no real thing as a perfect vacuum.
- gpm 8y ago
  I suggest AR - why would ship designers neglect an entire input channel to the humans in control?
  - trentlott 8y ago
    I mean, it would be a hell of a benefit if you can hear a ship explode behind you while you look at the the one in front of you or at a screen If you don't have that, you're a little more limited to relying on visual information for everything
TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
A/B testing showed people like the version with sound.
BerislavLopac 8y ago
My idea is that it's basically a UI enhancement: sound is the best method (at least for humans; but those space operas tend to be quite anthropocentric anyway) to perceive environment in a 3D way. So what we're hearing is not actual sound of explosions and ships; it's actually interpretations of their signals of various scanners, converted to sound and played in cockpit in such a way that the pilot can easily determine type and distance by the perceived location of its sound source. Hope this makes sense. :D
- Kye 8y ago
  Makes sense. Car audio designers already create sounds in cars to make up for the lack of them. Doors don't make much sound anymore naturally, but they've been designed to keep making sound when they close. And road noise is simulated or piped through the speakers. There's no reason that would stop with terrestrial vehicles.

Because there's no such thing as a perfect vacuum? Because when there's an explosion there's also an expanding medium that sounds can travel through?

Kye 8y ago
I was going to say synesthesia. I'm not sure I heard every ship I remember having sound.
cevn 8y ago
Is it true that there's no such thing as a perfect vacuum? How much 'stuff' is in vacuum on average to make it impure? Sorry if these are stupid questions.
- NikolaeVarius 8y ago
  http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1968PASJ...20..230T http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1968PASJ...20..230T A few atoms per cubic meter, but yeah, no real thing as a perfect vacuum.
gpm 8y ago
I suggest AR - why would ship designers neglect an entire input channel to the humans in control?
- trentlott 8y ago
  I mean, it would be a hell of a benefit if you can hear a ship explode behind you while you look at the the one in front of you or at a screen If you don't have that, you're a little more limited to relying on visual information for everything

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago

A/B testing showed people like the version with sound.

BerislavLopac 8y ago

My idea is that it's basically a UI enhancement: sound is the best method (at least for humans; but those space operas tend to be quite anthropocentric anyway) to perceive environment in a 3D way. So what we're hearing is not actual sound of explosions and ships; it's actually interpretations of their signals of various scanners, converted to sound and played in cockpit in such a way that the pilot can easily determine type and distance by the perceived location of its sound source. Hope this makes sense. :D

Kye 8y ago
Makes sense. Car audio designers already create sounds in cars to make up for the lack of them. Doors don't make much sound anymore naturally, but they've been designed to keep making sound when they close. And road noise is simulated or piped through the speakers. There's no reason that would stop with terrestrial vehicles.