Everyone knows the days after the peaceful Christmas holidays.These days where stress and hectic rush recur and the cities are full with people.Twin presents or those which do not suit need to be changed and gift coupons have to be redeemed.The seemingly never ending buying power seems to condense beyond all bearing especially at this time. All of the resolutions including altruism and consideration for each other quickly crystallises as not survivable. And while the world is sinking in stress and crowd the first snowflakes drop dancing. Real gentle and almost unnoticed. But the more it is snowing the more it is getting silent and calm. Due to the weather conditions the traffic reduces the hectic rush and the people set out for their warm homes. Exactly this moment should be used to explore one‘s environment in a different way. Only the sound of the own steps in the snow and the breath seem to disturb the abnormal silence. Silence – pause for a moment.
But how is it possible that those small icecrystals enable such a radical change of the acoustics in our environment? Physically considered it has to do with the diffusion of sound waves.The snowfall changes the acoustics of the environment because the sound waves begin to diffuse in another way.This is comparable to a floor cover in a room. If you enter a room with a flagged floor the acoustics are clear and precise or have a little sound.The sound waves bump on a plain surface and are refelcted. In a room with a carpet the sound seems to be absorbed and quit because the floor cover can not reflect the sound waves, it alomost „swallows“ them. But now to the snow cover : Fresh-fallen snow consits to 90 % out of air which is in the hollows between the orderless stacked sbnowflakes. Consequently the snow cover is similar to a carpet.The sound is absorbed and cannot be reflected.The noises especially the loud ones are softer.
So if the partner does not listen while Christmas shopping, don‘t be upset – that‘s the snow.