The study revealed that the tone of a clap depends heavily on hand shape and cavity size (as expected). Cupped hands trap more air, producing a lower, deeper pop. Flat palms create higher frequencies.

The research, published in the journal Physical Review Research, shows that the characteristic “pop” sound of a clap is not just from two hands smashing into each other but a much more complex ...

The results: The hand configuration that produced the loudest clap—85.2 dB—consisted of holding the hands 45 degrees to each other with the palms partially overlapping.

Understanding the physics of hand clapping, Fu says, could help develop methods to identify people by their claps — for example, allowing users to log into a device based on their unique clap.

The study, published in the journal Physical Review Research, shows that the sound of a clap is not just due to two hands smashing into each other.