physics of a sub and moving air

[rfbasshead]

does someone know the physics behind a subwoofer? as in how is it that they move air to be able to do hair tricks? i understand big woofers move air thus = hairtrick but does anyone know the science behind it all?

[Efreakingt]

Move more air. It's all tied to how much air you can move in your car. Bigger the interior the more air you have to move. Bigger cone area will move more air.

[rfbasshead]

i have 3 tens sealed in a single cab. theres no port there fore no air escapes from the sub box. but yet i still move enough air to significantly move paper in my window. how does that work. what science is at play

[3vil]

It's the same as how wind blows things around. The air around us is a mixture of gases, including but not limited to: nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The atoms of these intermixed gases are bumping into each other all the time, and when the woofer drives forward it displaces the surrounding atoms. Those atoms move and slam into other atoms, which slam into other atoms, and so on.

Eventually those chain reactions of bouncing atoms run into hairs, or plastic bags, or shirts or whatever. If you have a large amount of cone area (Sd), and a large amount of movement (xmax), you can push a lot of atoms around.

[Efreakingt]

They're still moving air, the outward push of the sub builds pressure in the cabin which will escape thru whatever holes it can find.

[rfbasshead]

It's the same as how wind blows things around. The air around us is a mixture of gases, including but not limited to: nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The atoms of these intermixed gases are bumping into each other all the time, and when the woofer drives forward it displaces the surrounding atoms. Those atoms move and slam into other atoms, which slam into other atoms, and so on.

Eventually those chain reactions of bouncing atoms run into hairs, or plastic bags, or shirts or whatever. If you have a large amount of cone area (Sd), and a large amount of movement (xmax), you can push a lot of atoms around.

I like this. do you know what kind of energy this is? also how does cone size relate to that? my 3 tens vs 1 18?

[Efreakingt]

3 10's have slightly less cone area than 1 18.

[yurvalentine]

Not positive but iirc sub physics are basically piston physics. Kind of like turning your car into a big compressor except with no intake so it doesn't build pressure constantly, it just increases and decreases it rapidly.

[Jessica]

All you are doing is changing the size of your cabin, when the sub moves forward the cabin gets smaller, when it moves back it gets bigger.

[3vil]

It's the same as how wind blows things around. The air around us is a mixture of gases, including but not limited to: nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The atoms of these intermixed gases are bumping into each other all the time, and when the woofer drives forward it displaces the surrounding atoms. Those atoms move and slam into other atoms, which slam into other atoms, and so on.

Eventually those chain reactions of bouncing atoms run into hairs, or plastic bags, or shirts or whatever. If you have a large amount of cone area (Sd), and a large amount of movement (xmax), you can push a lot of atoms around.

I like this. do you know what kind of energy this is? also how does cone size relate to that? my 3 tens vs 1 18?

I'm pretty sure it's kinetic energy.