A round of applause for scientists who solved the mystery of clapping

image: yayasya/Shutterstock

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of the physics behind the sound you hear when you clap your hands! The mechanism at work is a Helmholtz resonator—the same effect you get when you blow across the top of a bottle and produce a sound. It happens when air inside a hollow space—like a bottle or between your hands—vibrate…