Question About Low Frequency Sounds

Hey 2001Impala, thanks for the laugh, that was a good one!

Aircraft designers have learned that any tendancy for the plane to oscillate (say in pitch attitude) at 1 to 2 Hz should be avoided. Humans (and that includes pilots) can't cope with that frequency, and when they try to do so they induce worse oscillations. Slower, they can follow, and faster they can average.
Flashing lights and sound at certain frequencies can also be distracting.

Thanks for all the intelligent responses. Here's a link to the site where I found the info. Someone named "MusicMedicine" is the main contributor.

I've experienced nausea when exposed to low frequency sounds, so I have an inkling about how powerful sound can be. I'm just wondering if this effect is used in movie theaters or dance clubs to elicit emotional responses in the audience. Also, vinyl playback can produce all sorts of low frequency resonances and I wonder how this might influence the emotional states of the listener.

Lugnut,

thats a sonic distupter, i saw something about them on the discovery channel a while back. Its an interesting design, you can even make a DYI project out of this.

Its about a 3 foot metal cylinder about 8inches to a foot in diameter. One end is sealed and has a sparkplug type igniter in the center facing inward to the tube. gasoline is fed to it and the spark plug causes the gas to explode.
The resulting ultra-low frequency resonation can be aimed and directed (isnt it supposed to be non directional?) by the open end of the tube

the effects are usually a combination of nervousness, severe nausea and vomiting, loss of conciseness, confusion, and dimentia, depending on range of target.

I dont think they are allowed to use these yet, i think they are still in prototype stages because they are worried about possible long term effects and even the lethality of it.

hehehehe. mount one of these puppys in the bed of my truck, next poor sap who tailgates me will blow mcdonalds all over his nice lexus. hahahahaha

dont quote me on any of this, it was about a month ago i saw this, but this is what i remember. it might not be 100% accurate

Onhwy61,

The information about brain waves are true. They are the typical brain activity as measured on an EEG (electroencephalogram), and often used in sleep studies.
Delta waves are found in the deepest stages of sleep, while beta waves are much higher in frequency (relatively) and seen in REM sleep.

What their implications on music is beyond me.

Doc