Why a California Road Made With Asphalt Grooves That Play the William Tell Overture Is Out of Tune

While driving along the highway near Lancaster, California, the adventurous Tom Scott passed over the area’s “Civic Musical Road“, which was supposed to play the “William Tell Overture” in theory, but in reality played something far less musical and far more dissonant. Scott cited research by David Simmons-Duffin, who addressed the problem both mathematically and musically.

…whoever gave the instructions to the work crew said that the grooves should be four inches apart and that was interpreted as four inches between the end of one groove and the start of the next one they didn’t include the width of the groove itself.