In reply to David Roberson's message of Tue, 1 Oct 2013 00:06:48 -0400 (EDT): Hi,
In practice the bell would need to be supported, on an insulating base. I think most of the sound energy would actually end up in the base, not in the metal. The only way to really do your experiment is in orbit, where the bell can float freely. In fact you might be able to google something along these lines. > >I had an interesting thought that I wanted to share with the gang. What would >happen if you ring a bell that is totally engulfed within a vacuum? Since >there is no way for the energy to escape the bell by being radiated through >air one would think that the sound waves contained within the bell would keep >bouncing around and around until all the energy is turned into heat of the >metal. How quickly does this occur? [snip] Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html
