
Is it Possible to Hear Electricity? - NathanKP
http://experimentgarden.blogspot.com/2009/09/is-it-possible-to-hear-electricity.html
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chaosprophet
As far as I know (which is from a minor amount of personal experience and a
major amount from my electrical engineering degree), most humming and
crackling sounds are produced by corona discharges and they are generally
heard only near overhead power cables operating in high voltage ranges (i.e.
6kV and above). That said, I have heard humming sounds from older tube lights
too. Apparently this indicates a faulty choke.

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SwellJoe
Seriously? We're discussing _this_ on HN?

No; you cannot, generally, hear electricity, though you _can_ hear the effects
of electricity. Transformers hum, CRTs whine and sizzle, speakers buzz and
hiss, and sometimes electricity arcs causing a popping sound as it interacts
with the air (very rapidly consuming oxygen and producing light and heat and
sound).

Weird superstitions about electricity are not interesting.

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NathanKP
_"Transformers hum, CRTs whine and sizzle, speakers buzz and hiss, and
sometimes electricity arcs causing a popping sound as it interacts with the
air"_

That is what is interesting, and what I am interested in. What causes those
sounds? They obviously aren't weird superstitions, so what is the rational
explanation?

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NathanKP
What are your thoughts on "hearing electricity"? Have you ever experienced a
similar phenomenon? What scientific explanations have you found or do you know
about?

