From Julian Plant
I occasionally take copies of New Scientist home from the office in
a sad effort to impress my family. This has backfired. Never again will I be
taken seriously. The first item in The Last Word
(29 September) was entitled
“Powerful sound”. I started to read out the first sentence, the gist of which
was “why do overhead power lines hum?” to my wife and children Emma (11) and
Harry (9).
My attempt at erudition was drowned out by the gleeful, and on reflection
rather obvious, chorus: “It’s because they don’t know the words.”
Teddington, Middlesex
