WhyNot?

Elliptical Car Roof

Category: Neat new features
Responses: 1 (1 in support, 0 neutral, 0 in opposition)
Number of views: 604
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If you've ever had the experience of sitting in a large vehicle (say a minivan) and trying to communicate from the front seat to someone in the third row (or vice versa) you know you have to scream to be heard. I was in Grand Central Station the other day and its whispering galleries gave me an idea. Because of the elliptical shape of the whispering gallery, the sounds from one corner are focused onto the other corner on the far side of the room. (Yes, you can actually whisper, at a distance in this case of about 30 feet.) Could a similar thing be implemented in a vehicle with three rows of seats? Mind you, it doesn't have to be the structural roof, just the inside roof.

What do you think?

eastriver, Dec 19 2003

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Comments from other members:

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I believe those "whisper chambers" are parabolic, not elliptical. I suppose you could construct such a vehicle, but only the people sitting on the focal points would hear each other. Basically, you'd be driving what looks like a giant canned ham. Variety is the spice of life, go for it.

Beaugrand, Nov 28 2004