Term
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Definition
a) Pure Tones - a tone with pressure changes that can be described by a single sine wave.
b.) Sine Waves -
c.) complex tones - best explained through additive synthesis. Overone series stacked onto a fundamental frequency. The sound has more "waves" to describe it and no longer carries the single sine wave as seen in a pure tone.
d.) Fundamental Frequency - usually the lowest frequency in the Fourier spectrum of a complex tone. The fundamental frequency is also called the first harmonic. The tone's other components, called higher harmonics, have frequencies that are multiples of the fundamental frequency.
e.) Harmonics - Fourier components of a complex tone that are multiples of the fundamental frequency. |
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Term
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Definition
In case of a repeating sound wave, such as the sine wave of a pure tone, amplitude represents the pressure difference between atmospheric pressure and the maximum pressure of the wave.
Loudness - The quality of sound that ranges from soft to loud. For a tone of a particular frequency, loudness usually increases with increasing decibels. |
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Term
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Definition
In the case of a sound wave that repeats itself, such as the sine wave of a pure tone, frequency is the number of times per second that the wave repeats itself.
Pitch - The quality of sound, ranging from low to high, that is most closely associated with the frequency of a tone. |
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Term
Range of Hearing
a) Equal loudness of curves
b) Influence of amplitude |
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Definition
| We can only hear withing a specific range of freqencies. Humans can hear between 20 and 20,000 hertz. Amplitude of a tone plays a factor in loudness along with frequency. A tone can measure 40 decibels, but depending on its frequency we may or may not be able to hear it. Likewise, a tone could measure 100 hZ in frequency but not be heard depending on how many decibels the tone consists of. |
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Term
Major parts of the ear
a.) Outer ear
b.) Middle ear
c.) Inner ear |
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Definition
a.) Outer ear includes the Pinnae and Auditory Canal.
b.) The Middle ear contains the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.
c.) The main structure of the inner ear is known as the cochlea. |
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Term
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Definition
| The proposal that the frequency of a sound is indicated by the place along the organ of Corti at which nerve firing is highest. Modern place theory is based on Bekesy's traveling wave theory of hearing. |
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Term
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Definition
| In the auditory system, vibratin of the basilar membrane in which the peak of the vibration travels from the base of the membrane to its apex. |
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Term
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Definition
| A response to sound of the outer hair cells in which these cells move. The cells tilt and get slightly longer, which increases basilar membrane vibration and therfore amplifies the response of the inner hair cells. |
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Term
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Definition
| A device in which electrodes are inserted into the cochlea to create hearing by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve fibers. This device is used to restore hearing in people who have lost their hearing because of damaged hair cells. |
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