HEARING - SOUND Flashcards
sound is a name for
pressure changes in the air
sound waves travel MUCH slower than
light (electromagnetic waves)
in air, sound travels at
340 m/s
in water sound travels faster, at ~
1500 m/s
the amplitude or intensity of a sound wave is
the difference between the highest and lowest level of the oscillation
the intensity of sound is often measured in
dB SPL = 20 log (p/p0)
we perceive the intensity of sound as
loudness
prolonged exposure to intense sound can cause
irreversible hearing loss
the frequency of a sound wave is
is the number of cycles per second, measured in hertz (Hz)
frequency measured in
hertz
we perceive frequncy as
the pitch of sound
a pure tone is a __ wave
sinosoidal
humans can hear
a limited range of possible sounds
o from 20 Hz to 20 kHz
o from -5 dB to 130 dB
hearing thresholds vary with
frequency and age (especially for high frequency sounds)
pure tones are rare outside of
electronic notifications
most sounds are
complex sounds
we can represent complex waveforms as the sum of
multiple pure tones (sine waves)
Fourier analysis
we can represent complex waveforms as the sum of multiple pure tones (sine waves)
pure tones are rare outside of
electronic notifications
most sounds are
complex sounds
we can represent complex waveforms as the sum of
multiple pure tones (sine waves)
some complex sounds have a harmonic spectrum where
o the dominant frequency is the
fundamental frequency
perceived as the pitch of the sound
dominant frequency /fundamental frequency
higher frequencies are multiples of
the fundamental freq
