silly semi-science question ??

[redbenjoe]

every year --the city bangs out about 30 minutes of huge fireworks --
from a big barge --off the beach ( for safety )

and every year --no matter what awesome grail i bring --

the BASS of the explosions sound much DEEPER than my boxes --

is that how it REALLY is ???
or is it just the ocean magnifying the bass ?

 

[Fatdog]

That's how it really is. It has more to do with pressure and the amount of air that is moved.

 

[redbenjoe]

 

[Fatdog]

Taken from the Interwebs:

When something explodes, all of that energy (mostly thermal expansion) creates a HUGE pressure wave - so huge that all of those sound waves start to pile up (because they can't go faster than the speed of sound) to create a shock wave (the same thing that causes the 'crack' of a rifle shot, or of a sonic boom, or the shock of a nearby lightning strike.)

This is what startles you and what makes your chest thump when you hear an explosion.