/sci/ - Science & Math

>>8993843
>What are the principles of acoustics in general and how do they apply under water?
Underwater has little to do with it in this case. The key principle involved is that sound is a pressure wave, and that relatively homogeneous media tend to transmit sound well, while media with many sharp changes in density tend to transmit sound poorly and with much scattering at the interfaces.
This is why the ears, in most mammals, are directly connected to the air, allowing sound to propagate through the air and directly into the resonating bones of the ear without passing through muscle tissue. (In whales, strands of less-dense fatty tissue in the jaw connect the ears to the outside, forming a pathway to convey sound to the middle ear.) The pelvic girdle and associated hindlimb bones, in whales, are securely wrapped in muscle and connective tissue (often serving as anchors for the muscles of the genitals in males) which effectively muffle sound due to the higher density (compared to seawater or fat tissue) and fibrous texture.
the fact that muscle tissue is a poor carrier of sound can be ascertained by sticking your fingers in your ears (a subject at which, judging from your responses here, you certainly excel).