A. M. Mayer—Researches in Acoustics, 329 
Art. XXXIX.—Researches in Acoustics; by ALFRED M. 
MAYER. Paper No. 8, containing: 
1. On the obliteration of the sensation of one sound by the simultaneous action 
on the ear of another more intense and lower sound. 
e ; 
3. On a proposed change in the usual method of conducting orchestral: music, in- 
icated by the above discoveries. 
4. Applications of the interf f 
relative intensities of sounds. 
ra + aoe . red . the 
THIS communication is preliminary to an elaborate paper on 
the above subjects. For conciseness and clearness, I present 
the few facts I have now to offer in the form of notes of experi- 
ments :— 
1. On the obliteration of the sensation of one sound by the simul- 
taneous action on the ear of another more intense and lower 
sound, 
Experimental Observations on the Obliteration of one Sound by 
another.—Several feet from the ear I placed one of those loud- 
ticking spring-balance American clocks, which make four beats 
ma second. Then I brought quite close to my ear a watch 
(made by Lange, of Dresden) ticking five times in the second. 
In this ‘position I heard all the ticks of the watch, even those 
Which coincided with every fourth tick of the clock. Let us 
call the fifth tick of the watch which coincided with one of the 
ticks of the clock, its fifth tick. I now gradually remoyed the 
natch from the ear, and perceived that the fifth tick became 
unter and fainter, till at a certain distance it entirely van- 
roe and was, so to speak, “stamped out” of the watch. 
Similar and more striking experiments were made with an 
old silver watch, beating four times to the second, by causing 
ants watch to gain about thirty seconds an hour on the clock, 
60 that at every two minutes the ticks of the watch and clock 
exactly coincided. When the watch was held near the ear, 
very one of its ticks was heard distinctly; but on gradually 
"moving it from the ear, the ticks of the watch became fainter 
rang? Publication i i Aug. 10, 1876, my friend Mr. 
a pmander 5° Ellis, PRS, ssi the tcllowing’ pote fo the above experiment a9 
meg cor ak dere in Phare hm 
of ite american pendulum elock laced ise sates which increased the po 
ticks, : A ‘ 
. half-second ic nd a watch beating five times in nds. . 
hary e he has often noticed a similar e at night : ae “x4 
Proper vs tion produced by the obliteration. of the aa when on 
sudden diy; watch from the n a e sh 
It ig Sion of the ticks into pe separated by silences, is ar. 
