simpler cards

1. What are sound waves?
Vibrations that move through air or water and are heard as sound.
Example: Like ripples after tossing a stone in a pond.

2. What causes sound?
Vibrating objects push and pull air, creating sound.
Example: A guitar string vibrates and makes noise.

3. Do sound waves travel in a straight line?
No, they spread out like ripples in water.
Air doesn’t move far; the wave does.

4. What are compression and rarefaction?
Compression = air molecules squish together.
Rarefaction = molecules spread out.
Together, they make the sound wave.

5. What is a pure tone?
A smooth, repeating wave with one frequency.
Like a single note from a tuning fork.

6. What is frequency?
How many waves hit your ear per second.
Measured in Hertz (Hz).

7. What determines sound frequency?
How close the waves are together.
Tighter waves = higher pitch.

8. What’s the relationship between frequency and wavelength?
Shorter wavelength = higher frequency.
They work in opposite directions.

9. What is amplitude?
How big the wave is — it changes loudness.
Bigger wave = louder sound.

10. How is amplitude measured?
By how tightly air molecules are packed.
Tighter packs = louder sound.

11. What is a logarithm?
A way to count how many times you multiply 10.
Example: log(1,000) = 3 because 10³ = 1,000.

12. What is a decibel (dB)?
A unit for loudness using a log scale.
Every 10x increase = 20 dB more.

13. What is a complex tone?
A mix of several pure tones.
Example: A piano note with layered sounds.

14. What is periodicity in sound?
The wave pattern repeats regularly.
Example: Like a heartbeat rhythm.

15. What is fundamental frequency?
The main wave that sets the pattern’s speed.
It’s how often the full pattern repeats.

17. What is a frequency spectra?
A graph that shows all the frequencies in a sound.
Like a sound “ingredient” list.

18. What is the physical vs. perceptual property of sound?
Physical → Perceptual
Frequency → Pitch
Amplitude → Loudness
Wave shape → Timbre

19. What is the missing fundamental effect?
Even if the lowest pitch is gone, your brain still hears it.
Example: Phones cut low sounds, but you still hear the full tone.

20. What determines loudness?
Mostly amplitude — but pitch affects it too.
High pitch + same amplitude = sounds louder.

21. What is an audibility curve?
Shows the quietest sounds you can hear at each frequency.
We hear mid-range best (1,000–5,000 Hz).

22. What is an equal loudness curve?
Sounds of different frequencies that feel equally loud.
Each point on the curve = same loudness to your ear.

23. What determines pitch?
Higher frequency = higher pitch.
Example: A whistle has a higher pitch than a drum.

24. What is tone height?
Pitch increases as frequency rises.
Higher notes = higher tone height.

25. What is tone chroma?
Same note in different octaves sounds similar.
Example: C on a piano sounds “C-like” at any pitch.

26. What is timbre?
The quality that makes sounds unique, even at same pitch/loudness.
Example: Flute vs. violin playing the same note.

27. What affects timbre?
Harmonics and how a sound starts and fades.
More complex harmonics = richer sound.

28. 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

29. What is an envelope in sound?
How a sound’s volume changes over time.
Example: A piano note starts loud and fades out.

30. What is attack and decay in sound?
Attack = how fast a sound starts.
Decay = how it fades.
Example: A drum hits fast; a violin swells slowly.

31. What structures make up the outer ear?
The outer ear includes the pinnae, ear canal, and tympanic membrane (eardrum). These parts collect sound and direct it into the ear.
Example: When someone calls your name, the pinna helps direct the sound waves into the ear canal, eventually reaching the eardrum.

32. What and where is the pinnae?
The pinnae are the visible, outer parts of the ear that capture sound waves. They are located on each side of the head.
Example: The shape of your pinna helps you determine where sounds are coming from, like when you hear a car approaching from behind.

33. What is the tympanic membrane?
The tympanic membrane (eardrum) is a thin membrane that vibrates when sound waves hit it. These vibrations are passed to the middle ear bones.
Example: When you hear a clap, the sound waves cause your eardrum to vibrate, sending signals to your brain.

34. What does the ear canal do?
The ear canal channels sound waves to the tympanic membrane and helps protect the middle ear from dust and foreign objects.
Example: The ear canal helps keep debris out of your eardrum, similar to how a tube funnels water to a drain.

35. What bones make up the ossicles in the middle ear?
The ossicles are three tiny bones:

• Malleus (hammer)

• Incus (anvil)

• Stapes (stirrup)
  These bones amplify sound vibrations and send them to the inner ear.
  Example: The malleus pushes the incus, which in turn moves the stapes, amplifying the sound before it reaches the cochlea.

36. What is the cochlea?
The cochlea is a spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.
Example: After sound waves are amplified by the ossicles, the cochlea turns these vibrations into nerve signals, allowing you to hear music or speech.

37. What is the function of the basilar membrane in the cochlea?
The basilar membrane vibrates in response to sound and helps separate different sound frequencies. It plays a key role in stimulating hair cells that send signals to the brain.
Example: When you listen to music, high-pitched sounds vibrate the part of the basilar membrane near the base of the cochlea, while low-pitched sounds affect the part near the apex.

38. What are hair cells in the cochlea?
Hair cells are specialized sensory cells in the cochlea that detect vibrations from sound and convert them into electrical signals. These signals are then sent to the brain via the auditory nerve.
Example: Hair cells move when sound waves hit them, and this motion triggers electrical signals that help you hear.

39. What is the auditory nerve?
The auditory nerve carries electrical signals from the cochlea to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.
Example: After the cochlea converts sound into electrical signals, the auditory nerve transmits this information to the brain so you can recognize the sound of a bell ringing.

40. What is the vestibular system?
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.

41. What is the function of the semicircular canals?
The semicircular canals detect rotational movements of the head, contributing to balance.
Example: When you turn your head from side to side, the fluid inside the semicircular canals moves, helping your brain sense the movement.

42. What is the role of the auditory cortex?
The auditory cortex is the part of the brain that processes sound information. It interprets signals from the auditory nerve to identify the type, pitch, and volume of sound.
Example: When you hear a siren, the auditory cortex helps you recognize the sound and its direction.

43. What is pitch in sound?
Pitch is the perception of how high or low a sound is, based on the frequency of sound waves.
Example: A flute produces higher-pitched sounds than a tuba because its sound waves have a higher frequency.

44. What is loudness in sound?
Loudness is the perception of how intense a sound is, determined by the amplitude of the sound waves.
Example: A rock concert is much louder than a whisper because the sound waves have larger amplitudes.

45. What is frequency in sound?
Frequency refers to the number of sound wave cycles per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). Higher frequencies correspond to higher-pitched sounds.
Example: A bird’s chirp has a higher frequency than a drum beat.

46. What is amplitude in sound?
Amplitude refers to the size of the sound wave and determines the loudness of a sound.
Example: The loudness of a car horn is greater than the sound of a normal conversation because its amplitude is larger.

47. What is the difference between sound intensity and sound loudness?
Sound intensity is the physical measurement of sound wave energy, while loudness is the subjective perception of sound intensity.
Example: A sound with high intensity may be perceived as either loud or soft, depending on other factors like frequency and distance from the source.

48. What is the role of the outer hair cells in the cochlea?
The outer hair cells in the cochlea amplify sound vibrations and help fine-tune hearing sensitivity.
Example: Outer hair cells help you hear soft sounds by boosting vibrations in the cochlea.

49. What is the role of the inner hair cells in the cochlea?
The inner hair cells convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.
Example: Inner hair cells allow you to understand speech by translating sound vibrations into messages your brain can process.

50. What is temporal coding in auditory perception?
Temporal coding refers to the process by which the timing of neural firing in response to sound waves encodes pitch information.
Example: When listening to a low note, temporal coding helps your brain understand the slow firing pattern of auditory neurons, which corresponds to the lower frequency.