Sam and Susan had heard many wonderful tales about the legendary Echo Caverns in Southwestern Virginia. They had heard that a couple could go there and yell into the caves late at night, and that the properties of the caverns would make the most perfect echoes.
One night, they decided to go and give it a try. Around midnight, they got into their old ’57 Chevy, drove to Lover’s Leap and walked down to the Caverns. There was no one around, as far as they could tell, so they didn’t have to worry about any rangers or police giving them a ticket. (It’s actually illegal to make echoes in the Caverns because it disturbs the bats and the stalagmite formation.)
Once they were certain that the coast was clear; they both took turns yelling into the cave and trying to make an echo. Sam yelled, “Hello there” several times but, he never heard anything. Susan yelled, “Echo! Echo!! Echo!!!” several times as well, but she never heard anything.
Now, neither of them were deaf, and their hearing wasn’t restricted in anyway. What in the heck were they doing wrong?
Answer
It’s simple—the reason they never heard “anything” is because they never yelled “anything”.
Sam yelled, “Hello there” and he heard back, “Hello there.”
Susan yelled, “Echo! Echo!! Echo!!!” and she heard back, “Echo! Echo!! Echo!!! Echo.”
If they would have yelled, “anything”, then they would have heard it; but neither of them did.
