# 1626: "Can You Hear Electricity?"

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/interesting-things-with-jc-4639155/1626-can-you-hear-electricity
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/interesting-things-with-jc-4639155/1626-can-you-hear-electricity.md
Podcast: [Interesting Things with JC](https://stenobird.com/podcast/interesting-things-with-jc-4639155)
Published: 2026-04-18T07:00:47+00:00
Episode link: https://jimconnors.net/interesting-things-with-jc/2026/4/18/1626-can-you-hear-electricity
Audio file: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bba2d6fca525b3efa21591f/t/69e2bf9d29ed1618ecf51cec/1776467874972/1626+-+Interesting+Things+-+Can+You+Hear+Electricity.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/interesting-things-with-jc-4639155/episodes/1626-can-you-hear-electricity
Duration seconds: 213

## Resource

The sounds we associate with electricity are actually the physical reactions of matter to energy. From lightning to phone chargers, every electrical noise is a byproduct of air expanding or materials vibrating.

## Highlights
- Main idea: Electrical 'sound' is actually the movement of air or matter reacting to energy changes
- Physical mechanism: Rapid heating from discharges creates pressure waves that we perceive as sound
- Practical takeaway: The hum in dimmers and chargers is caused by magnetic forces and high-frequency switching
- Technical concept: Magnetostriction causes microscopic shape changes in inductors, creating audible whines
- Failure mode: Corona discharges create a continuous hiss through localized air expansion

## Topics

Physics, Electricity, Acoustics, Magnetostriction, Lightning, Power Electronics, Electromagnetism, Frequency

## Chapters
- 0:00 — The Lab Experiment: An exploration of Francis Hawksby's 18th-century electrostatic generator and the physics of air expansion.
- 0:40 — The Scale of Thunder: How the extreme heat of lightning channels creates massive shock waves across the sky.
- 1:10 — The Hum of the Grid: Analyzing the 60Hz/120Hz fluctuations in US power systems and their effect on incandescent bulbs.
- 1:30 — High-Frequency Switching: How modern phone chargers use high-frequency power conversion to create audible whines.
- 2:00 — Magnetostriction: The phenomenon of microscopic material deformation caused by rapidly changing magnetic fields.
- 2:20 — Corona Discharge: The continuous hiss and crackle produced by localized air expansion under high voltage.
- 2:50 — The Sound of Impact: A concluding thought on how we hear the physical deformation of the world around us.

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## Transcript

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