Abstract
IN NATURE of December 26, 1907 (p. 188), Mr. S. Skinner's recent exhibition of “singing” sand at the Physical Society is referred to. These particular sands were said to consist chiefly of angular grains. In all my investigations, which have extended over a period of many years, I have never been able to produce musical notes from any sands composed of purely angular grains; indeed, as I have frequently stated, a certain proportion of angular grains mixed with a musical sand will effectually silence it! I dealt fully with this point in my paper on musical sand published in 1888. Again, I have never yet met with purely angular grains possessing smooth and rounded surfaces—conditions which, with others, are essential in the production of music from sands. Perhaps Mr. Skinner meant subangular grains?
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CARUS-WILSON, C. Musical Sands. Nature 77, 222 (1908). https://doi.org/10.1038/077222c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/077222c0
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