Chapter 7: Hearing Flashcards
amplitude
volume/intensity of a sound
frequency
number of wave cycles per second
how can amplitude be objectively measured?
in decibles
what is the perceptual dimension of amplitude?
loudness
how can frequency be objectively measured?
in hertz
what is the perceptual dimension of frequency?
pitch
what is the perceptual dimension of complexity?
timbre
what is timbre?
the perception/identity of the sound (ex. different voices, instruments, etc.)
what is a pure tone?
a single sine wave, which is not typically experienced in life as it has to be manufactured
what are complex tones?
many sine waves which we experience on a daily basis
what did Joseph Fourier do?
measured the individual components of complex tones to try to decipher them.
created the Fourier Analysis
what did Fourier discover?
sound waves follow natural laws; they are predictable.
what can you see using the Fourier analysis?
you can see the individual sine waves that make up the complex wave form.
The Fourier analysis can accurately determine the other waves because they are whole multiples of the fundamental frequency (first harmonic)
what allows for distinction of different sounds (specifically different instruments)?
the intensity of the harmonics (timbre)
Ossicles
smallest bones in the body
work as a set of gears to transmit sounds
tympanic membrane (eardrum)
vibrates in response to a sound wave
semicircular canals
involved in the vestibular system (balance)
cochlea (inner ear)
where the receptors are located and where sound waves are transformed into neural signals
eustachian tube
where the ears get plugged
what are the three ossicles called?
malleus, incus, stapes
what is the function of the malleus?
vibrates in response to the vibrations it receives from the tympanic membrane
what is the function of the stapes?
pounds against the cochlea
why is it important that the ossicles are made of bone?
the cochlea is filled with fluid, so force is needed in order to transmit a sound wave from air into a fluid