Sound I Flashcards
vibrate
To move continuously and rapidly to and fro.
sound
Vibrations of molecules produced by vibrating objects and detected by your ear that transfers energy.
source
Something that emits light or sound.
detector
Something that absorbs electromagnetic radiation or sound to produce a signal.
sound wave
A series of compressions and rarefactions that moves through a medium.
compression
The part of a sound wave where the air particles are close together.
rarefaction
The part of a sound wave where the air particles are most spread out.
medium
Material that affects light or sound by slowing it down or transferring the wave
transverse
Describes a wave in which the vibrations are at right angles to the direction in which the wave moves.
longitudinal
Describes a wave in which the vibrations are in the same direction as the direction in which the wave moves.
pinna
The outside part of the ear
outer ear
The pinna and auditory canal.
auditory canal
Passage from the outer ear to the ear drum
eardrum
A membrane that transmits sound vibrations from the outer ear to the middle ear.
ossicles
Small bones in the middle ear (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that transfer vibrations from the eardrum to the oval window
middle ear
Eardrum and ossicles that transfer vibrations from the outer to the inner ear
oval window
Membrane that connects the ossicles to the cochlea in the ear
inner ear
The part of the ear made up of the cochlea and semicircular canals
semicircular canals
The part of the ear that helps you to balance
cochlea
A snail-shaped tube in the inner ear where the sensory cells that detect sounds are
signal
Current or voltage that changes over time
microphone
A device for converting sound into an electrical signal.
transducer
A device that changes an electrical signal into light or sound, or changes light or sound into an electrical signal.
loudspeaker
A device that changes an electrical signal into a sound wave
electrical signal (ear)
Information is transferred from the ear to the brain as an electrical signal (nerve signal)
echo
A reflection of a sound wave by an object
reflect
When a surface causes light or sound to bounce off of it
ultrasound
Sound at a frequency greater than 20,000 Hz, beyond the range of humans.
sonar
System that uses ultrasound to detect underwater objects or to determine the depth of the water
transmitter
Device that gives out a signal (e.g. sonar)
receiver
A device that absorbs sound waves.
