simpler cards

What are sound waves?

Vibrations that move through air or water and are heard as sound.

What causes sound?

Vibrating objects push and pull air, creating sound.

Do sound waves travel in a straight line?

No, they spread out like ripples in water.

What are compression and rarefaction?

Compression = air molecules squish together; Rarefaction = molecules spread out.

What is a pure tone?

A smooth, repeating wave with one frequency.

What is frequency?

How many waves hit your ear per second, measured in Hertz (Hz).

What determines sound frequency?

How close the waves are together; tighter waves = higher pitch.

What’s the relationship between frequency and wavelength?

Shorter wavelength = higher frequency.

What is amplitude?

How big the wave is, which changes loudness.

How is amplitude measured?

By how tightly air molecules are packed.

What is a logarithm?

A way to count how many times you multiply 10.

What is a decibel (dB)?

A unit for loudness using a log scale; every 10x increase = 20 dB more.

What is a complex tone?

A mix of several pure tones.

What is periodicity in sound?

The wave pattern repeats regularly.

What is fundamental frequency?

The main wave that sets the pattern’s speed.

What are harmonics?

Extra waves that are multiples of the base wave.

What is a frequency spectra?

A graph that shows all the frequencies in a sound.

What is the physical vs. perceptual property of sound?

Physical → Frequency, Amplitude; Perceptual → Pitch, Loudness.

What is the missing fundamental effect?

Your brain still hears the fundamental frequency even if the lowest pitch is gone.

What determines loudness?

Mostly amplitude, but pitch also affects it.

What is an audibility curve?

Shows the quietest sounds you can hear at each frequency.

What is an equal loudness curve?

Sounds of different frequencies that feel equally loud.

• Each point on the curve = same loudness to your ear

What determines pitch?

Higher frequency = higher pitch.

What is tone height?

Pitch increases as frequency rises.

What is tone chroma?

Same note in different octaves sounds similar.

What is timbre?

It is the quality that makes sounds unique, even at the same pitch/loudness.

It is determined by the harmonic content and the behavior of sound waves.

What affects timbre?

Harmonics and how a sound starts and fades.

What are harmonics?

The higher frequency sound components present in complex sounds, above the fundamental frequency.

• Frequencies above the base pitch that shape the sound.

• They shape the tone's richness

What is an envelope in sound?

How a sound’s volume changes over time.

What is attack and decay in sound?

Attack = how fast a sound starts; Decay = how it fades.

What structures make up the outer ear?

The pinnae, ear canal, and tympanic membrane.

What and where is the pinnae?

The visible, outer parts of the ear that capture sound waves.

What is the tympanic membrane?

A thin membrane that vibrates when sound waves hit it.

What does the ear canal do?

Channels sound waves to the tympanic membrane and protects the middle ear.

What bones make up the ossicles in the middle ear?

Malleus (hammer), Incus (anvil), Stapes (stirrup).

What is the cochlea?

A spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals.

What is the function of the basilar membrane in the cochlea?

Vibrates in response to sound and helps separate different frequencies.

What are hair cells in the cochlea?

Specialized sensory cells that detect vibrations and convert them into electrical signals.

What is the auditory nerve?

Carries electrical signals from the cochlea to the brain.

What is the vestibular system?

Helps control balance and spatial orientation.

• It consists of structures in the inner ear, such as the semicircular canals, that detect changes in head position.

• Example: When you spin around, your vestibular system helps you maintain balance and stop feeling dizzy.

What is the function of the semicircular canals?

Detect rotational movements of the head.

What is the role of the auditory cortex?

Processes sound information and interprets signals from the auditory nerve.

What is pitch in sound?

The perception of how high or low a sound is.

What is loudness in sound?

The perception of how intense a sound is.

What is frequency in sound?

The number of sound wave cycles per second.

What is amplitude in sound?

The size of the sound wave that determines loudness.

What is the difference between sound intensity and sound loudness?

Sound intensity is a physical measurement; loudness is a subjective perception.

What is the role of the outer hair cells in the cochlea?

Amplify sound vibrations and help fine-tune hearing sensitivity.

What is the role of the inner hair cells in the cochlea?

Convert sound vibrations into electrical signals.

What is temporal coding in auditory perception?

The process by which the timing of neural firing encodes pitch information.