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Sure it's rare that a party conversation moves from politics or the state of the world to sound. After all acoustics isn’t a matter of opinion, it's a highly technical subject. That said, here are some quick facts about acoustics that can see you top the conversation with the best of them.

1. Sound travels about 4.5 times faster in water than the air. Next time you are jet skiing off the beach, know that you are the noisy neighbour to all the wild life below the sea.
2. Light travels a million times faster than sound, hence you see lighting followed by thunder a few seconds later
3. Sound can’t travel in a vacuum - Space can get a really quiet up there
4. Soundproof & sound absorption aren’t the same thing. Soundproof eliminates the transmission of sound between two rooms or spaces, while sound absorption reduces the sound within a space.

5. The quietest place you can experience is an anechoic chamber. It absorbs all sounds completely. The phrase silence is deafening can truly be experienced here. The sound in the room is tested at -9DB (less than zero sound)

6. Humans can hear a range between 50Hz to 20,000Hz, while an animal's range can go much higher, however a human’s range diminishes in a hurry as you get older.

7. To test how old your ears are, give this video a go!

8. Wallace Clement Sabine a physicist considered the ‘father of architectural acoustics’ developed the Sabine formula to determine the optimal reverberation times for sound based performances in a range of venues. The Sabine formula determines how much sound absorption you need and where it needs to be placed.

If however your party does turn into a technical bun fight, don’t hesitate to tag us in. On the off chance that your workspace does need a bass trap, acoustic baffle, a diffuser or a deflector & want to know how it can help raise the productivity of your team, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our professionals to help you out.

The Total Office:  

• As a provider of workspace solutions, The Total Office helps elevate the work experience of its customers by addressing collaboration, acoustics, environmental sustainability and well being at the design stage using globally recognized products and tools. This enables its customers to raise their productivity in the workspace laying a foundation for innovation and a sound work culture. The Total Office is Headquartered in Dubai, UAE serving the country and the wider Middle East region. For more information visit: www.thetotaloffice.com  

Source: 

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/health/health-advice/a559784/hearing-loss-ageing-ears/ https://sonicscoop.com/2018/03/28/main-types-acoustic-treatment-use/