Chapter 14, Problem 90GP

BIO Hearing a Pin Drop The ability to hear a “pin drop” is the sign of sensitive hearing. Suppose a 0.48-g pin is dropped from a height of 31 cm, and that the pin emits sound for 1.2 s when it lands. Assuming all of the mechanical energy of the pin is converted to sound energy, and that the sound radiates uniformly in all directions, find the maximum distance from which a person can hear the pin drop. (This is the ideal maximum distance, but atmospheric absorption and other factors will make the actual maximum distance considerably smaller.)