Bell





A bell is a simple sound-making machine, a metallic drum which resonates upon
being struck by a clapper. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone.

In its most classical form it is a church bell, which is hung within a tower
and sounded by having the entire bell swung by ropes, whereupon an internal
hinged tongue strikes the body of the bell. Such a bell produces a very
loud, clear tone. The traditional metal for these bells is a bronze of about
20% tin. Known as bell metal, this alloy is also the traditional alloy for
the finest Turkish and Chinese cymbals.

Bells can be of all sizes: from tiny dress accessories to church bells
literally weighing tons. Some bells are used as musical instruments, such as
carillons, or ensembles of bell-players using hand-held bells of varying
tones.

Bells are common as alarms; church bells formerly functioned as warnings of
fire and invasion. The word is also used for the ringer in telephones, on
bicycles, and in door bells. Such bells are struck rapidly and repeatedly by
a mechanical or electrical clapper.

Bells are also associated with clocks, indicating the hour by ringing.
Indeed, the word clock comes from the Latin word cloca, meaning bell.

In the case of clock towers and grandfather clocks, a particular sequence of
tones may be played to represent the hour. One common pattern is called the
"Westminster Quarters," a sixteen-note pattern named after the Palace of
Westminster which popularized it.

Another method of indicating the hour by means of bells is ship's bells.

Finally, old-fashioned alarm clocks use mechanically chiming bells to
indicate a preset hour, usually to rouse a person from sleep.

A variant on the bell is the tubular bell or chimes, composed of several
metal tubes which are struck manually with hammers. In the case of wind or
aeolian chimes, the tubes are blown against one another by the wind.

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The Bell telephone company was founded by Alexander Graham Bell.

In the 19th century Bell was acquired by AT&T, often called Ma Bell, which
maintained a telephone monopoly in the United States until 1984. The breakup
of AT&T led to the creation of seven regional phone companies, called Baby
Bells. The name persists in companies such as Pacific Bell and Southwestern
Bell, which are now brands of SBC Communications. See Regional Bell
operating company. See also Bell Canada.

See also telephone, AT&T, Bell Labs, and Lucent. The bel (one "L") and its
derivitative the decibel or dB is a measure named after Alexander Graham
Bell and used in several fields, notably audio. See bel.

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The Bell Aircraft Corporation, now the Bell Helicopter Division of the
conglomerate Textron, manufactured a number of important early aircraft,
such as the P-39 Airacobra.

They also made a series of research aircraft, including the Bell X-1, the
first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound (Mach 1), and many famous
helicopters, including the Bell Model 47 (US army "Sioux"), the Bell Model
204 (aka UH-1 "Huey") and the JetRanger (model 206 or OH-55 Kiowa in army
service).

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Bell is also the name of some places in the United States of America:

   * Bell, California
   * Bell, Florida
   * Bell Township, Pennsylvania