DailyRéalités #4

Did You know? A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.

 But scientifically speaking, A duck's quack does echo (The term echo refers to the physical sending back of sound or other waves and the repetition of sound by reflection).
A duck's quack certainly echoes around a reverberation chamber (A reverberation chamber is a space with cathedral like acoustics). This leads to the most interesting question, why did the myth arise? There are a few possible explanations:

• 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.

SOURCE: University of Salford