Klarinet Archive - Posting 000888.txt from 2002/10

From: "Keith" <100012.1302@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] This thing on my front door
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 18:20:15 -0500

Bill,

Nothing is by definition a closed system except undergraduate
thermodynamics problems and *possibly* the whole universe. And strictly
it is not closed since some air does go through it. But in terms of
vibrational energy it is "mostly" closed, since only a small proportion
of the vibrational energy generated is radiated into the room. Most of
it stays inside the instrument and the oral cavities, so this is a
useful way of thinking about it.

A definition I prefer is that of a "compartmentalised system" in which
each element acts separately (the stomach and intestines are often
modelled this way, as are other organs, for drug delivery calculations).
The clarinet is not a compartmentalised system, for the reasons we have
discussed.

Cheers!

Keith

Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 08:35:36 -0700
From: "WILLIAM SEMPLE" <wsemple@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] This thing on my front door
Message-ID: <OE49Ymi4R3gHgNpesLL0000e0f0@-----.com>

>I think I get it. Cheers if I do.

>You, Tony, and others are asserting that the clarinet is by definition
a closed system (e.g., the lock and key) wherein the variables of the
chain are so inextricably linked that the relative contribution of each
variable is impossible to determine except in terms of the specific
system as a whole and in the instance under examination.

>Would it be fair to restate your view with the following syllogism:

>1) In a closed system, one cannot generalize about the relative
importance of elements.

>2) The clarinet is a closed system.

>Therefore, ergo, to wit:

>3) One cannot generalize about the relative importance of the elements
of the clarinet.

>Assuming that the major premise is true (I do not know, having never
considered this issue before, but it makes sense), the minor premise
becomes the arguable condition:

>Is the clarinet a CLOSED SYSTEM??
--------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------