The Physics of the Sound Wave and its Effects on the Human Ear

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The Physics of the Sound Wave and its Effects on the Human Ear

Could you imagine living in a world without sound? It would be enormously different from the world that we know. Our primary form of inter-human communication would be based on visual or tactile imagery. Our sense of perception would be changed. Telecommunication would be different. We would not have the pleasure of music or the soothing sounds of nature. Sound has had an immense impact on our world. This essay will explore the unseen world of sound waves and how humans perceive them.

Generally, people hear sound waves traveling through air. These waves cannot be seen, but are heard or felt via vibration. Sound waves originate from vibrating objects and travel in longitudinal waves through mediums (such as a solid, a liquid, or a gaseous material). These types of waves are defined by the textbook as: “…wave[s] in which the vibrations of the medium are parallel to the direction the wave is moving.1” Figure 8.52 shows an excellent example of a tuning fork producing longitudinal waves, which are perceived as sound. It is apparent that as the prongs are struck, they move outward. As they move outward, the neighboring air molecules are compressed together creating what is called compression. The tuning fork prongs reverse the pressure as they move inward and cause a rarefaction (the opposite of a compression) in the neighboring air molecules. The process is repeated until the tuning fork returns to its resting state.

As previously stated, sound waves can travel through various mediums. The universal formula to obtain the speed of a sound wave is:Speed=distance/time.

“The faster which a sound wave travels, the more distance it will cover in the same period of tim...

... middle of paper ...

...le that has an intensity of 10-3 W/m2 can be determined2: db = 10 log 10 ( 10-3/10-12 ) = 90-dB.

Decibel levels from 0-80 dB are safe to the human ear. Prolonged exposure to sounds higher than that can result in hearing damage.

With the factors of frequency and amplitude brought into relation of hearing, it is apparent that nothing would be understood without the concepts that can be referred to from physics. Physics enables the analysis of the human’s ability to understand sound waves.

References:

1-Kirkpatrick, L.D. (2001). Physics A World View. (4 ed.) Philadelphia: Harcourt

2-Russell, K. (1997). Sound Waves. Retrieved: 4-30-03 From:

www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/linguistics/ressell/138/sec4/actoust/htm

3-Henderson, T. (1998). Sound Waves and the Eardrum. Retrieved: 4-30-03

From: Http://www.glenbrook.k12/gbssci/phys/mmedia/waves/edl.html 4

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