◷ 3:16
Maja turns on the TV and wonders how a fish can swim across the screen—and where its splash comes from. This song explores how a signal guides pixels and speakers, how changing still pictures appear to move, and how a vibrating speaker moves the air to make sound.
Original explanations based on the cited sources.
Sound
Sound is a travelling vibration in a material, such as air, water or metal. It needs a medium, so it does not travel through a vacuum.
Sources
Pixels
A pixel is one element in the grid of a digital image and stores colour information. Many pixels together form a photo or video frame.
Sources
RGB colour model
RGB describes a colour using red, green and blue light components. Screens combine these components to display many different colours.
Sources
Additive colour mixing
Additive mixing combines light of different colours. A suitable combination of red, green and blue light produces white; mixing paint works differently.
Sources
Sequence of video frames
A video displays successive still images called frames. Showing them rapidly in the right order lets us perceive motion.
Sources
Signal decoding
Decoding reads data stored according to a particular code. During video playback, a decoder turns encoded data into images or sound that can be played.
Sources
Text from the recording’s subtitles.
Song lyrics
ضغطت مايا الزر—ما هذا اللمعان؟
أرسل جهاز التحكم أمر التشغيل
سمكة ملونة تسبح بين الفقاعات
ومن المكبر تأتي رشة ماء
تحمل الإشارة معلومات الصورة والصوت
وتحولها الدارات إلى أوامر
الإشارة تخبر الشاشة ماذا تعرض
والبكسلات تصنع ألوان الضوء
يحرك المكبر الهواء، فنسمع الصوت
الصورة والصوت يعملان معا
تكشف عدسة مايا شبكة دقيقة
والبكسلات ثابتة في مكانها
كل واحد يضبط ثلاثة أضواء
حمراء وخضراء وزرقاء، تخفت وتسطع
فتصنع معا ألوانا كثيرة
الإشارة تخبر الشاشة ماذا تعرض
والبكسلات تصنع ألوان الضوء
يحرك المكبر الهواء، فنسمع الصوت
الصورة والصوت يعملان معا
صور ثابتة تتبدل بسرعة
فتبدو السمكة تسبح بسلاسة
يهتز الغشاء، فيحرك الهواء: رشة
الإشارة تخبر الشاشة ماذا تعرض
والبكسلات تصنع ألوان الضوء
يحرك المكبر الهواء، فنسمع الصوت
الصورة والصوت يعملان معا
مايا ترى السمكة تنساب، وتسمع رشة
تتعاون الإشارة والبكسلات والمكبر
Language version lyrics
Maja clicks—what lights up the screen?
The remote sends the power-on command
A bright fish swims among the bubbles
The speaker gives a watery splash
The signal carries picture and sound data
Inside, circuits turn them into commands
The signal tells the screen what to show
Pixels make the colors out of light
The speaker moves the air for sound
Picture and sound work side by side
Maja's lens reveals a tiny grid
The pixels stay fixed in their places
Each one controls three colors of light
Red, green, and blue grow bright or dim
Together they make the colors we see
The signal tells the screen what to show
Pixels make the colors out of light
The speaker moves the air for sound
Picture and sound work side by side
Still pictures change very fast, one by one
The fish seems to glide across the screen
The speaker membrane shakes and moves air—splash!
The signal tells the screen what to show
Pixels make the colors out of light
The speaker moves the air for sound
Picture and sound work side by side
Maja sees it glide and hears the splash
Signal, pixels, speaker work as one
Open on YouTube ↗