8 Responses to “Inquiring Minds Want To Know”

1. #1 by Jek
   November 1st, 2006 at 3:49 pm

   I saw this on a MythBusters episode. The final answer is well, yes it does echo. Here are the details from the Wikipedia entry on that episode:

   When examined by an audio-expert, it was found that the echo was “swallowed” by the original quack, due to the very similar acoustic structure between the quack and the echo. Because of this, it may be difficult to tell where the quack ends and the echo begins. (This was also tested in the British show: Brainiac: Science Abuse)
2. #2 by anon
   November 1st, 2006 at 4:08 pm

   I’m lost in time here. The “following” echo is swallowed by the “original” quack??????? Is this simultaneously done at the same deferent times?

   I also learned that actually ducks can’t fly. They are great jumpers.

   And you are at work answering duck questions but too busy to answer the phone?
3. #3 by huskysooner
   November 1st, 2006 at 10:44 pm

   Hahahahahahahahaha!
4. #4 by MRambler
   November 2nd, 2006 at 9:04 am

   Anon, you’re right, Ducks don’t fly – without an airplane, they’re greedy and think rabbits are despicable….. I watch “Daffy Duck”, too!…..
5. #5 by Jek
   November 4th, 2006 at 1:11 pm

   This site has a better explanation: “A Duck’s Quack Doesn’t Echo, and no-one knows the reason why?” from the Salford Acoustics Audio and Video department of the University of Salford. Here’s a good bit from the site that tries to answer why the myth arose in the first place:

   So a duck’s quack certainly echoes around our reverberation chamber, so a duck’s quack does echo. Which leads to the most interesting question, why did the myth arise? The are a few possible explanations that I can think of:

   * The quack does echo, but it is usually too quiet to hear. When you want to hear an echo, you usually make a very loud noise to make sure the reflection can be heard. But a duck quacks too quietly, so the reflection is too quiet to hear.

   * Ducks don’t quack near reflecting surfaces. You need a large reflecting surface, a mountain or building for the sound to reflect off. Maybe ducks don’t hang around reflecting surfaces.

   * It is hard to hear the echo of a sound which fades in and fades out.
6. #6 by MRambler
   November 4th, 2006 at 3:14 pm

   No, No, NO!…… Daffy told me it was because of his lisp…… The echo is absorbed by the flying saliva….. Sow….thwere!…..
7. #7 by J.J.
   November 5th, 2006 at 12:36 am

   Yeah, What He Said!
8. #8 by anon
   November 8th, 2006 at 1:04 pm

   Apparently the quack of a lame duck does not echo.

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