Table of Contents
- 1 How does the human brain differentiate a scream from a whisper?
- 2 Why speed of sound is more in solid than air?
- 3 Why is the speed of sound different in different media?
- 4 How does sound actually go through our brain?
- 5 How does intensity affect loudness of sound?
- 6 On what factors does the loudness or intensity of sound depend?
- 7 Why does the speed of sound change?
- 8 What affects the speed of sound in different tissues?
- 9 How does density affect the speed of sound?
- 10 How does humidity affect the speed of sound waves?
How does the human brain differentiate a scream from a whisper?
A Whisper to a Scream The loudness of normal human conversation is about sixty decibels. A whisper is about twenty decibels. A shout right into someone’s ear is about 115 decibels. Being exposed to sounds that are over 120 decibels, even for brief periods, can damage the auditory system.
Why speed of sound is more in solid than air?
Solids: Sound travels fastest through solids. This is because molecules in a solid medium are much closer together than those in a liquid or gas, allowing sound waves to travel more quickly through it. In fact, sound waves travel over 17 times faster through steel than through air.
Why does the intensity or loudness of a sound depend on the amplitude of the sound wave?
It depends on the amount of energy that started the waves. Greater amplitude waves have more energy and greater intensity, so they sound louder. The same amount of energy is spread over a greater area, so the intensity and loudness of the sound is less.
Why is the speed of sound different in different media?
Answer: The speed of sound depends on the elasticity and density of the medium through which it is traveling. In general, sound travels faster in liquids than in gases and faster in solids than in liquids. The greater the elasticity and the lower the density, the faster sound travels in a medium.
How does sound actually go through our brain?
The inner ear translates vibrations into electrical signals. The electronic signals are carried into the brain by nerve cells called neurons via the cochlear nerve system. The signals travel along the cochlear nerve system to the brain’s cerebral cortex. Like a supercomputer, this part of the brain.
Why does air affect the speed of sound?
Air molecules have more energy at higher temperatures, which means they vibrate faster. This allows the sound waves to also travel faster because they are propelled by collisions between the molecules.
How does intensity affect loudness of sound?
The loudness of sound is determined, in turn, by the intensity, or amount of energy, in sound waves. As decibel levels get higher, sound waves have greater intensity and sounds are louder. For every 10-decibel increase in the intensity of sound, loudness is 10 times greater.
On what factors does the loudness or intensity of sound depend?
Intensity results from two factors: the amplitude of the sound waves and how far they have travelled from the sound source. Amplitude is a measure of the size of sound waves. It depends on the amount of energy that started the waves. Greater amplitude waves have more energy and greater intensity, so they sound louder.
How does sound travels through different media?
Sound waves need to travel through a medium such as solids, liquids and gases. The sound waves move through each of these mediums by vibrating the molecules in the matter. This enables sound to travel much faster through a solid than a gas. Sound travels about four times faster and farther in water than it does in air.
Why does the speed of sound change?
The speed of sound changes by about . 6 metres per second for every degree. Sound is transmitted through the air by compression waves, which, at a small scale, depend on molecules transferring energy one to another. Air molecules have more energy at higher temperatures, which means they vibrate faster.
What affects the speed of sound in different tissues?
In reality, the speed of sound is affected by the density and elasticity of the medium through which it is traveling and these factors are not constant for human tissues. The propagation speed of sound is higher in tissues with increased stiffness and reduced density 2. Examples of propagation velocities in different tissues are given below 2 :
What is the speed of sound when travelling through air?
The speed of sound when travelling through air at 20oC is 343.2 m/s which translates to 1,236 km/h. The speed of sound in gases is proportional to the square root of the absolute temperature (measured in Kelvin) but it is independent of the frequency of the sound wave or the pressure and the density of the medium.
How does density affect the speed of sound?
In reality, the speed of sound is affected by the density and elasticity of the medium through which it is traveling and these factors are not constant for human tissues. The propagation speed of sound is higher in tissues with increased stiffness and density 2.
How does humidity affect the speed of sound waves?
The Speed of Sound in Air The speed of a sound wave in air depends upon the properties of the air, mostly the temperature, and to a lesser degree, the humidity. Humidity is the result of water vapor being present in air. Like any liquid, water has a tendency to evaporate.