natural slap echo

[Blandon Ray]

Haible Juergen wrote:

> I think the most effective whisper gallery has an elliptic shape.
> In that case, when both the speaker and the listener are ideally
> located, the volume should actually be amplified. Why's that ?
> Normally the listener will only get a fraction of the acoustic power
> (the part that is directed to him), while in the ideal whisper chamber
> a great portion of the power that was transmitted in *any* direction
> is focussed on the listener.

There's a room like this in the US Capitol building; I think it was the old
Senate chanber. During the tour, the guide stands at one focus of the ellipse
while the tourists stand at the other and hear the guide's voice from right
amongst them. There was also something about two famous senators who had their
desks at those two points, but I don't remember that part exactly.

blandon