ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´

AUDIENCES sometimes synchronise their applause to show their enthusiasm after
a concert or play. But this actually mutes the average volume of the applause,
an international team of researchers has found.

Normally everyone in an audience claps at their own speed, making a sound
like rolling thunder. In synchronised applause, which is common in eastern
Europe, most people try to make more noise by timing their claps to match those
of others.

But they can’t get the timing right if they clap at normal speed, says Albert
Barabasi of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and his colleagues—it
is only possible to synchronise applause if the frequency of claps is halved
(Nature, vol 403, p 849). So although the applause has louder peaks,
the lengthy quiet intervals between claps lowers the average volume.