PSY280H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Sine Wave, Decibel, Hair Cell
Document Summary
A hair cell in the ear needs to be moved by 1nm to be perceive sound. Vibration of air molecules that move in a particular fashion- fluctuations of air pressure. Sound moves in a particular speed, it depends on the median it travels through. Frequency: the number of times per second that a pattern of pressure change repeats. It is measured by hertz (hz) increase the distance between cycles= low frequency represented on a sine wave. We can detect sounds from 20 to 20000 hz. Amplitude: the magnitude or displacement of a sound pressure wave. Pitch: as we change the frequency of the sound we change the quality of the. Decibel: is the measurement of the intensity of the sound (measured on a sound (frequency= pitch) log scale) Relatively small decibel changes can correspond to large physical changes. Ex: increasing 6db corresponds to doubling the amount of pressure. Our auditory system is really sensitive, auditory adaptations are immediate.
