The Blind Swordsman

[Ingenious]

A few points to bring up..
The human ear can hear in the range of 20-20,000 hertz.
I learned that today in instruments/navigation/communication systems class. It's very interesting, I also learned how an AM radio works.. and all sorts of shit about sound..etc.

Another interesting factoid: We all hear speech differently.. What may sound to you as a high-pitch voice might be a medium pitch voice to me.
Now, when you try to dive into WHY this is, that's when MY brain gets fried.

Daredevil is a slightly unrealistic comparison to normal hearing.. BUT, regardless of the range of hertz the dude can hear.. the amount of sound generated from a footsetp closeby on a hard surface resonates at a frequency easily within the normal 20htz-20khz spectrum. And at an amplitude easily audible, i.e. there's quite an amount of volume/amplitude to it.

Why do amplifiers exist in car radio receivers? Because they have to split the carrier waves that carry the initial sine wave made by a voice speaking into a microphone over a vast distance since that initial 'sound' as it were becomes very weak and inaudible over a given distance. It's fascinatingly simply.. were I to attempt to draw a diagram..

AND, to delve into human hearing more.. because I feel like ranting..
The human ear operates via the eardrum and fluids inside the ear reacting to differential pressure.. which is then passed on to nerve endings that vibrate to the same frequency as the 'sound'.. which is then transmitted to the brain and then WHAM, you perceive sound.

Pardon the random factoids too people.. I simple wanted to throw out a bunch of useless info related to sound and such.

I think that sensing the electromagnetic fields to a degree, like sharks do apparently.. is the most 'realistic' approach to this.. as it relates to sound directly.. but going into that at any depth will bore the freakin hell out of everyone here.. as most of this post does....

-Ingenious

[Dain]

...aw, you mean Daredevil isn't scientifically possible!?! <Sniffle> Next you're probably going to tell me that Superman couldn't scientifically fly because he'd only be able to jump in a parabolic fashion due to being accelerated downward at 32 ft per second squared like all the rest of us! you've ruined comics for me forever you big bully!

Just teasing. Cheers!

[Tash]

Ecolocation is on my list of cool powers from the animal kingdom to have, right after a prehensile tail....

[Ingenious]

You may mock me/be sarcastic all you feel like people..
But the simple fact is that sound, in some cases.. is meshed with electromagnetic waves.. these waves 'carry' the sound over a certain distance... and it's way far advanced for even my intellect to be capable of comprehension. Thus, the lack of an explanation.


Dain however is amusing in his reference to gravity as a constant...

It could very well be that perhaps Daredevil has more nerve endings inside of his ear/eardrum.. which all vary in length according to what frequency they are tuned to resonate regardless of super-human hearing or not.. This would however result in the possibility of an explanation including either the senses becoming more powerful as a result of the loss of 'vision'.. or due to him being a mutant freak.

-Ingenious

[Drifter Bob]

I still say in the case of the Zatoichi blind swordsman movies, which are very realistic, it's much simpler: master cuts.  No human sonar or electromagnetic shark senses, just ordinary human hearing and very good swordsmanship.  It's a parable for good swordsmanship.


JR

[Dain]

May have to check that out. I've only seen the Rutger Hauer (man I'm probably butchering the spelling there) flick Blind Fury...which was very entertaining.

[Ingenious]

Point capitulated.

-Ingenious