What was that short story by Arthur C. Clarke?
Arthur C. Clarke’s short story entitled “Silence Please” appeared in his 1954 collection “Tales from the White Hart” (reprinted in 1970 by Harcourt, Brace & World Inc., New York). In it, Harry Purvis recounts the tale of the ill-fated “Fenton Silencer,” an anti-noise device that goes disastrously awry. In the tradition of Clarke’s other works, the story itself is entertaining and well-told. Strictly speaking, however, the basic premise requires some poetic license regarding the physics of sound cancellation. Well-informed readers must rely on their “willing suspension of disbelief” to overlook the inconsistencies. [Of course, I say that with the benefit of over fifty years’ hindsight.
