[1] In the early 2000s, physicist Carl Haber developed a non-contact method to recover audio from damaged historical recordings. [2] Traditional playback methods, which rely on a physical stylus tracing the grooves of a wax cylinder, risk destroying these fragile media. [3] Instead, Haber's system uses high-resolution digital cameras to scan the grooves and create a detailed three-dimensional map of the surface. [4] A software program then reconstructs the audio from this visual data, allowing archivists to play back sounds that were previously considered unrecoverable. [5] Most wax cylinders were manufactured between 1888 and 1929 and could hold about two minutes of audio. [6] This optical technology has successfully restored rare recordings of historical figures like Alexander Graham Bell and Florence Nightingale, preserving vital pieces of auditory history.
The writer is considering deleting Sentence 5 from the passage. Should the writer make this deletion?
- AYes, because the sentence contradicts the passage's earlier assertion that traditional playback methods are destructive.
- Yes, because the sentence interrupts the explanation of how Haber's technology works by introducing tangential details about the history and capacity of wax cylinders.Answer
- CNo, because the sentence provides crucial historical context that explains why wax cylinders are no longer manufactured.
- DNo, because the sentence establishes the timeline of the recordings that Haber's optical scanning system is able to restore.