What does this word mean?

Question

ok i kind of know what barrier means, but what would it mean when it's being used in this sentence?
It is usually easy to do homework in class because Mr. Stetman’s voice creates a gentle, white-hoise sound barrier.

Answer 1

A barrier is something that blocks something. In this case, Mr. Stetman's voice blocks out all the other sounds in the classroom. Hence, it acts as a 'barrier'.

Answer 2

In that sentence, "barrier" is used in a positive sense, as something that's blocking external distractions. Think of it like a blanket. "White-noise" refers to the soft static that you get sometimes on your t.v. or radio. It blocks out all other noises. Sounds like Mr. Stetman's kind of monotone. :)

Answer 3

White-noise has a sound-deadening effect by creating a sonic interference pattern which it does by being 1/2 a wavelength out of phase with the sound you're trying to deaden. (If you think of a sine wave, the white noise peaks when the undesired noise troughs and vice versa.) The quote is saying Mr. Stetman's voice acts in this manner, deadening the ambient classroom noise by effectively being 1/2 a wavelength out of phase with it.

Answer 4

A sound barrier is something that muffles sound. white noise usually works as a sound barrier because it provides a little bit of sound that you don't really notice (like soft radio static) to mask little sounds.

Answer 5

it means his voice blocks out other annoying noises.

Answer 6

What he said.