Van Ashley L.

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1. What is sound, and how is it produced?

When sound enters the ear canal, it hits the eardrum and makes it vibrate like the head of a
drum. The vibrating eardrum jerks a bone called the hammer, which hits the anvil and moves
the third bone called the stapes. Its motion pushes the fluid within the long chambers of the
cochlea. Once there, the sound vibrations have finally been converted into vibrations of a fluid,
and they travel like a wave from one end of the cochlea to the other. A surface called the basilar
membrane runs the length of the cochlea. It’s lined with hair cells that have specialized
components called stereocilia, which move with the vibrations of the cochlear fluid and the
basilar membrane. This movement triggers a signal that travels through the hair cell, into the
auditory nerve, then onward to the brain, which interprets it as a specific sound.

2. How do we perceive sound from a source?

To locate the source of a sound in space, our brain compares the sounds reaching both ears.
When a sound is directly in front of us, it reaches both ears simultaneously and at the same
intensity. However, for sounds coming from one side, the near ear detects them slightly earlier
than the far ear due to microseconds of time difference. Additionally, high-frequency sounds
appear more intense to the near ear because the head blocks them from reaching the far ear.
Special parts of the brainstem analyze these time and intensity differences between the ears.
The results are then sent to the auditory cortex, where the brain combines the sound patterns
and spatial information to determine both what the sound is and where it is coming from.

3. How does sound travel through different mediums, such as gasses, liquids, and solids?
Sound travels through different mediums by propagating as mechanical waves. In gases, such
as air, sound waves cause the particles in the medium to vibrate in a back-and-forth motion. In
liquids, sound waves pass through density variations of the liquid particles, transmitting the
vibrations. In solids, sound waves travel through the elastic properties of the material, with the
particles vibrating in a tightly connected lattice structure. The speed of sound varies depending
on the medium, as sound travels faster through solids compared to liquids and gases due to the
differences in particle arrangement and interaction.

4. What is the difference between pitch and volume in relation to sound?

Pitch and volume are distinct characteristics of sound. Pitch refers to the perceived frequency of
a sound wave, determining whether it is high or low. Higher frequencies correspond to higher
pitches, while lower frequencies correspond to lower pitches. Volume, on the other hand, refers
to the magnitude or strength of a sound wave, determining its loudness or softness. It is
influenced by the amplitude of the wave, with larger amplitudes resulting in louder sounds and
smaller amplitudes resulting in softer sounds.

5. How is the frequency of a sound wave related to its pitch?

The frequency of a sound wave is directly related to its pitch. Frequency represents the number
of complete vibrations or cycles that a sound wave completes in one second, and it is measured
in hertz (Hz). Higher frequency sound waves are perceived as higher-pitched sounds, while
lower frequency sound waves are perceived as lower-pitched sounds. This relationship holds
true across various contexts and allows us to differentiate between sounds of different pitch. For
example, a whistle producing high-pitched sound waves has a higher frequency, while a drum
producing low-pitched sound waves has a lower frequency.