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March 02, 2006

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Hello, !

New at HowStuffWorks:

How LRAD Works

In November of 2005, pirates attacked the cruise ship Seabourn
Spirit off the coast of Somalia. The pirates were in a small
boat, but they had machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
The cruise ship, on the other hand, had a Long Range Acoustic
Device (LRAD).

Many media outlets credited the LRAD with warning off the
pirates, leaving the Seabourn Spirit unscathed. Some of the
coverage was pretty dramatic. News stories described the LRAD as
a sonic weapon that fired a beam of sound at the pirates and
drove them away.

What makes sound a weapon? In this article, we'll review the
basics of sound and discuss exactly how the LRAD produces its
"beam of sound." We'll also explore LRAD's hailing and warning
abilities and other uses for sound.

Click here to read How LRAD Works:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/lrad.htm