The ear

The ear is a part of the peripheral auditory system.

It is divided into three major parts: the outer ear, the
middle ear and inner ear.
The outer ear called the pinna collects the sound
waves and focuses them into the ear canal.

This canal transmits the sound waves to the eardrum.

The ear canal is the eardrum membrane or the

tympanum. It separates the outer and the middle ears
physically.
Air vibrations set the eardrum membrane in motion
that causes the three smallest bones (hammer, anvil
and stirrup) to move.
Behind the oval window is a snail-shell shaped
liquid-filled organ called cochlea.
These sounds are converted into electrical impulses,
which are sent to the brain by the auditory nerve.
Properties of
Sound
The properties of sound include
pitch, loudness and quality.

We usually describe the sounds we

hear using these properties.
Pitch
Pitch is the highness or lowness of sound.
It depends on the frequency of the sound
waves.
The higher the frequency is, the higher the
pitch. A low frequency corresponds to a low
pitch.
A unit of frequency is the Hertz (Hz), where 1
Hz= 1 vibration/second.
Human ears can hear sound frequencies from
about 20 Hz to 20 000 Hz.
Sound above this range are ultrasonic
Some animals like dogs and bats can detect
ultrasonic sounds.
Infrasonic waves have frequencies below 20
Hz.
These waves are produced by many natural and
man made resources.
Doppler Effect
A change in the frequency and pitch of sound
due to either the movement of the source or the
listener.
Echolocation
-> is the use of reflected sound waves to
determine distances or to locate objects
Loudness
Loudness is the human perception of sound
intensity.
The intensity of sound waves depends on the
amount of energy that each wave possesses.
Intensity of sound increases as the amplitude
increases.
The higher the intensity and amplitude are, the
louder the sound.
 Sound Loudness (dB)
Normal Conversation 20
Classroom 40
Street traffic 80
Thunder 110
Jet plane taking off 150
Quality
-> describes the difference among sounds of the
same pitch and loudness.