4/22/2024 0 Comments Background info about soundwavesTurn the dial again and your amp becomes 64 dB louder. But going from the second to the third marker increases it by 16 dB. If the ratio is 4, let’s say, then turning the dial from the first to the second marker increases the sound by 4 dB. If the knob is following a logarithmic scale, the volume won’t increase evenly as you turn the dial from marker to marker. And what does that mean? Let’s say you have a dial on your guitar amp with evenly spaced steps on it numbered one through five. The dB scale is logarithmic, which means there’s a fixed ratio between measurement units. Using our ocean analogy-because, hey, it works-amplitude describes the height of the waves. Here’s a primer on the science of sound to help get you started.Īmplitude equates to sound’s volume or intensity. Understanding how sound works does have a number of practical applications, however, and you don’t have to be a physicist or engineer to explore this fascinating subject. Sure, most people care about how sounds make them feel, but they aren’t as concerned with how the sound actually affects them. If you’re not in the industry of audio, you probably don’t think too much about the mechanics of sound. So, what are sound waves and how do they work? ![]() This reads like something out of science fiction, but what we’re talking about is very much real and already part of our day-to-day lives. They can trigger a range of emotions and they even cause physical damage. They have the power to communicate ideas, evoke fond memories, start fights, entertain an audience, scare the heck out of us, or help us fall in love. They slam into us constantly at more than 700 miles per hour, sometimes hurting, sometimes soothing. We live our entire lives surrounded by them. Volume refers to a sound wave’s intensity.Whether you’re recording or just vibin’, the science of sound can be cool. Amplitude refers to a sound wave’s size, or height. When you blow one, dogs go crazy, but people can’t hear a thing! What is Loudness?Īmplitude determines the loudness of a sound. Most dogs can hear sounds between 65 Hz to 45 000 Hz. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that ultrasonic sounds are comfortable or even safe to listen to! Most humans can hear sounds between 65 Hz and 23 000 Hz. Frequencies too high for us to hear (above 20 000 Hz) are called ultrasonic. That means it’s high-pitched.įrequencies too low for people to hear (lower than 20 Hz) are called infrasonic. ![]() One that might come from a violin or the higher end of a piano. Now, imagine you hear a very bright note. ![]() Low-pitched sounds have long wavelengths as shown in the top image and high-pitched sounds have shorter wavelengths as shown in the bottom image (Source: Let's Talk Science based on an image by ttsz via iStockphoto)įor example, imagine a very deep note - one that would come from a bass guitar or a key at the lower end of a piano. And that is what allows you to hear someone’s voice! The cochlea contains small cells called hair cells that convert sound waves into signals. It’s a small, snail-shaped structure inside your head. The vibrating ossicles transmit the sound waves to the cochlea. They are also known as the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup. These three small bones are called malleus, the incus and the stapes. These sound waves travel into your ear canal and hit your eardrum. After all, what goes on inside your ears is what allows you to hear.įor example, when a person talks, the movement of their mouth creates waves of moving air. When you think about sound, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? A song you heard on the radio this morning? Or maybe something less pleasant, like a school bell?īut, have you ever thought about what sound actually is? Anatomy of the Earīefore you can understand sound, you have to understand how your ears work.
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