Re: Off topic, Was: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2)

[Hans Aberg]

On 5 Apr 2009, at 20:15, Mats Bengtsson wrote:

> A flute playing friend of mine once demonstrated what happens if you  
> drink a bear just before you play and all of  a sudden a burp  
> increases the proportion of carbon dioxide in the breathing air  
> significantly, resulting in a much lower pitch.


It could be right, and not an effect of the alcohol and poor  
performance :-), by looking at the formula
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_sound#Speed_in_ideal_gases_and_in_air
using the values of gamma and molar weight of air and CO2 given at
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiabatic_index
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide
I get for pure CO2: sqrt((1.3/44.0095)/(1.4/28.9645))) = 0.7817 =  
-426.3 cents, or more than 4 semitones (a mixture will not lower as  
much).

But whatever in that burp may stick to the pads, producing an annoying  
noise.

  Hans