SHORT NOTES ON BASIC CLINICAL SCIENCES–EAR AND HEARING MECHANISM-
Sound is Produced by Vibrations in Matter (Air, Liquids, Solids)
- Anything which causes matter to vibrate will produce sound
- Vocal cords vibrate and push on the air flowing through the larynx, causing the air to vibrate
- Sound cannot travel through a vacuum
- Sound velocities:
- Air: 344 meters/sec (770 miles/hr)
- Water: 1500 meters/sec (3360 miles/hr)
- Solids: about 5000 meters/sec (11,200 miles/hr)
Pitch is Determined by the Frequency of Vibration
- We perceive fast vibrations as high pitches, slow vibrations as low pitches
- When we are young we can hear vibrations from about 20 hertz to about 20,000 hertz