The acoustics of vuvuzelas
JUN 15, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024419
New Scientist : The meter-long plastic trumpet known as the vuvuzela has famously—or infamously, depending on your point of view—become the instrument of choice of 2010 World Cup fans. It was introduced a year ago at a previous soccer tournament held in South Africa, the Confederations Cup. Since then, the vuvuzela has spread among fans like a virus. When hundreds of vuvuzelas are blown simultaneously by football fans, the racket can be deafening. Trevor Cox, president of the UK Institute of Acoustics, explains the science behind the noise.
Image credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
