Physical Science - Chapter 18

Eustachian tube

the canal that connects the middle- ear cavity with the throat to allow the equalization of pressure on both sides of the ear drum.

Acoustic amplification

the process of making a sound louder.

Echolocation

the process that uses the time interval and direction of an echo to determine the position of an object.

Pitch

how high or low an audible tone sounds to the human ear; related to the concept of wave frequency.

Timbre

the distinctive sound of an instrument; also called quality.

Vocal cords

folds of tissue in the throat that when vibrated produce the sound waves that humans use to communicate.

Loudness

human perception of the intensity of a sound value.

Acoustic spectrum

the continuum of all possible sound waves.

Sonography

technology that uses ultrasound to create images of objects found inside other objects.

Fundamental tone

the longest (lowest frequency) standing wave produced by a vibration of a structure.

Cochlea

the inner- ear organ that converts kinetic energy to electrical impulses.

Harmonics

the fundamental tone and its overtones.

Larynx

the box- like structure located at the top of the trachea that supports the vocal cords.

Tympanic membrane

the thin, flexible membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and converts acoustic energy to kinetic energy.

Stirrup

one of the three bones, along with the anvil and hammer, of the middle ear that transmit energy from the outer ear to the inner ear.

overtone

a shorter, faster vibration (higher pitch) in addition to the fundamental tone produced by a vibrating structure.

Anvil

one of the three bones, along with the hammer and stirrup, of the middle ear that transmit energy from the outer ear to the inner ear.

Passive sonar

a system of underwater microphones that can only receive, not produce, underwater sounds in order to detect a submerged object.

Active sonar

an underwater device that produces short pulses of sound that echo back to the sending object; used to find the bearing and range of submerged objects.

sound energy

a type of mechanical wave energy that can be detected by the human ear

acoustic spectrum

the continuum of all possible sound waves

pitch

how high or low an audible tone sounds to the human ear; related to the concept of wave frequency

loudness

human perception of the intensity of a sound value

intensity

a measure of the power contained in a wave; often refers to sound or electromagnetic waves

decibel

the unit for measuring relative sound intensity

timbre

the distinctive sound of an instrument; also called quality

larynx

the box-like structure located at the top of the trachea that supports the vocal cords

vocal cords

folds of tissue in the throat that when vibrated produce the sound waves that humans use to communicate

tympanic membrane

the thin, flexible membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and converts acoustic energy to kinetic energy

hammer

one of the three bones, along with the anvil and stirrup, of the middle ear that transmit energy from the outer ear to the inner ear

anvil

one of the three bones, along with the hammer and stirrup, of the middle ear that transmit energy from the outer ear to the inner ear

stirrup

one of the three bones, along with the anvil and hammer, of the middle ear that transmit energy from the outer ear to the inner ear

eustachian tube

the canal that connects the middle-ear cavity with the throat to allow the equalization of pressure on both sides of the ear drum

cochlea

the inner-ear organ that converts kinetic energy to electrical impulses

fundamental tone

the longest ( lowest frequency) standing wave produced by a vibration of a structure

overtone

a shorter, faster vibration (higher pitch) in addition to the fundamental tone produced by a vibrating structure

harmonics

the fundamental tone and its overtones

acoustic amplification

the process of making a sound louder

echolocation

the process that uses the time interval and direction of an echo to determine the position of an object

passive sonar

a system of underwater microphones that can only receive, not produce, underwater sounds in order to detect a submerged object

active sonar

an underwater device that produces short pulses of sound that echo back to the sending object; used to find the bearing and range of submerged objects

infrasonic sound

sound having frequencies below the range of human hearing

ultrasonic sound

sound having frequencies above the range of human hearing

sonography

technology that uses ultrasound to create images of objects found inside other objects

sound energy

a type of mechanical wave energy that can be detected by the human ear

intensity

a measure of the power contained in a wave; often refers to sound or electromagnetic waves

decibel

the unit for measuring relative sound intensity

hammer

one of the three bones, along with the anvil and stirrup, of the middle ear that transmit energy from the outer ear to the inner ear

overtone

a shorter, faster vibration (higher pitch) in addition to the fundamental tone produced by a vibrating structure

ultrasonic sound

sound having frequencies above the range of human hearing