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In addition to being a rather forgettable thriller starring Michael Keaton, white noise refers to an "acoustical or electrical noise of which the intensity is the same at all frequencies within a given band." Now, unless you have a Ph.D. in acoustics, that definition probably makes no sense. So, let's add a little color to today's column with some help from our old friend, Mr. Layman. Mr. Layman recommends this page from HowStuffWorks because it explains the concept without using math. Basically, white noise is all the possible frequencies a person can hear mashed into one uber-sound.
The name "white noise" originates from the concept of white light, which similarly combines the different colors (or frequencies) of light into one ray. You may have heard of white noise machines. These are popular with city dwellers because they drown out irritating racket. Since a white noise machine produces sounds at all frequencies, it masks car alarms, neighbor's stereos, crickets, you name it. Of course, if the offending noise is a jackhammer, not even the best machine on the market is going to help much. Sorry.
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