Human Factors 3 Flashcards
Sound
vibration of air molecules
- object moving back and forth compresses and rarifies air
- creates pressure that are at higher and lower atmospheric pressures
- spreads in a wave which can be graphed 2D
amplitude
sound pressure percieved as loudness
frequency
cycles per second (hertz) perceived as pitch
pitch
wavelength/frequency
condensation
air particles vibrate about a fixed point
rarefaction
wave of vibration spreads outwards
3 tiny bones
malleus, incus, stapes
3 small bones
convert sound vibrations from air to fluid vibrations in the cochlea
eardrum
tympanic memebrane
cochlea
split into upper and lower part by basilar membrane - an elastic partition that runs from begining to end
basilar membrane
fluid in cochlea ripples and travelling wave forms along the basilar membrane
hair cells
sensory cells in basilar membrane that move up and down
microscopic hair-like projections (stereocilia) on top of the hair cells bump against an overlying structure and bend
bending causes channels which are at the tips of the steroeocilia to open up -chemicals rush in creating an electric signal
auditory nerve
carries electrical signal into the brain, which translates into a sound that we recognize and understand
hair cells and cochlea
different areas are sensitive to different frequencies - pitch
apex = 200Hz and the base = 20,000Hz
sound intensity
acoustic intensity - sound power per unit area
watt per square meter (W/m^2)
example decibBels
weakest sound heard - 0.0 Average home - 50 normal conversation - 60 phone dial tone - 80 Truck traffic - 90 chainsaw- 110
sound intensity
DECIBELS
equal intensities but different frequencies are perceived by the same person to have unequal loudness
example 60dB with freq. of 1000Hz sounds louder than 60dB with a frequency of 500Hz
phon
used to indicate an individuals perception of loudness. Definition is 1phon = 1 dB at 1000Hz
60-phon curve
volunteers subjected to 1kHz sound at 6dB this is the loudness of 60phon
-repeated with different frequencies