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What else can I help you with?
Is the basilar membrane receive sound waves via air?
No, the basilar membrane does not directly receive sound waves via air. Sound waves enter the ear through the ear canal and cause vibrations in the eardrum, which then transmit these vibrations to the middle ear bones. The movement of these bones leads to the vibrations of the oval window, which in turn causes fluid in the cochlea to create waves that stimulate the basilar membrane.
Damage to the basilar membrane is most likely to affect one's what?
Damage to the basilar membrane impairs hearing. More specifically, damage to cilia cells (tiny hairs within the B.M.) corresponding to the frequency of a sound result in the impairment of ones ability to hear that frequency. An average, a healthy young person is able to hear between 20-20,000 hertz and will have approximately 30,000 cilia. By middle age damage to cilia reduces the range of hearing to an average of 12-14,000 hertz.
How does the cochlea of the inner ear help you hear?
The cochlea has hairs cells that ride on the basilar membrane. These hair cells convert the mechanical vibration of sound waves into an electrical signal and excite the auditory nerve's 30 000 fibers. The auditory nerve transports the signal to the brainstem. Since each hair cell is on a different part of the basilar membrane, each hair cell is best excited by a different frequency. Thus, each nerve fiber carries auditory information about a different frequency to the brain.
What does a pitch of sound depend on?
The pitch of sound depends on the frequency of the sound wave. Higher frequency waves result in higher pitch sounds, while lower frequency waves result in lower pitch sounds.
Are the wavelengths of high frequency sounds short or long?
The wavelengths of high frequency sounds are short. This is because high frequency sounds have more cycles per second, resulting in shorter distances between peaks in the sound wave.
Describe how sounds of different frequency pitch are differentiated in the cochlea?
Pitches are differentiated by the length and tension of the basilar membrane fibers.
Is the basilar membrane receive sound waves via air?
No, the basilar membrane does not directly receive sound waves via air. Sound waves enter the ear through the ear canal and cause vibrations in the eardrum, which then transmit these vibrations to the middle ear bones. The movement of these bones leads to the vibrations of the oval window, which in turn causes fluid in the cochlea to create waves that stimulate the basilar membrane.
Explain how cochlea allow us to hear both low frequency and high frequency sound?
The basilar membrane within the cochlea is responsible for detecting different frequencies of sound. High frequency sounds cause vibrations near the base of the spiral-shaped cochlea, while low frequency sounds cause vibrations near the apex. This allows the brain to interpret different frequencies based on where the vibrations occur along the basilar membrane.
Does In your inner ear different parts of the basilar membrane vibrate at different natural frequencies?
Yes. It is correct. In your ear different parts of the basilar membrane vibrate at different natural frequencies. You have stapes bone attached to oval window. When it vibrates, the vibrations are transmitted to round window. This transmission goes through scala vestibuli and comes back through scala tympani. This can happen because there is communication between to channels at the tip. When this fluid vibrates, the vibrations are taken up by different part of basilar membrane. For this you have to have the basilar membrane anatomically tapered. The longer part vibrates with low frequency sound and tapering part vibrates with sounds of higher frequencies successively. So the 'resultant' frequency is taken up by part of the basilar membrane. The signal is transmitted by hair cells to brain. With successive 'resultant' signals brain can analyse the hundreds of different sounds. Two ears together give stereoscopic effect to the sound.
Difference between place theory and frequency theory?
Place theory states the perception of pitch is associated with vibration of different portions of the basilar membrane, while the frequency theory states the perception of pitch is associated with the frequency at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates.
How are sounds of different pitch differentiated in the cochlea?
Pitch discrimination results from the fact that the basilar membrane has different vibrational properties along its length, such that the base (nearest the oval window) vibrates most strongly to high frequency sounds, and the tip to low frequencies.
Damage to the basilar membrane is most likely to affect one's what?
Damage to the basilar membrane impairs hearing. More specifically, damage to cilia cells (tiny hairs within the B.M.) corresponding to the frequency of a sound result in the impairment of ones ability to hear that frequency. An average, a healthy young person is able to hear between 20-20,000 hertz and will have approximately 30,000 cilia. By middle age damage to cilia reduces the range of hearing to an average of 12-14,000 hertz.
Why can loud sounds damage hearing, potentially leading to damage to the hair cells in the basilar membrane?
Loud sounds can damage hearing because they can cause the hair cells in the basilar membrane of the inner ear to become overstimulated. This overstimulation can lead to the hair cells becoming damaged or even dying, which can result in hearing loss.
How are high pitched sounds specifically distinguished within the cochlea?
High pitched sounds are sensed at the base of the cochlea, where the basilar membrane is narrower and stiffer. When high-frequency sounds enter the ear, they cause maximum vibrations in this region, leading to the activation of hair cells that are sensitive to high frequencies. This allows the brain to distinguish and interpret high-pitched sounds.
How people hear and understand the frequency of sounds?
(Not sure if this means 'How do people hear and how do they understand the frequency of sound' or 'How do people hear the frequency of sound and understand it' so I'm answering both.)The ear can be split into three basic parts: outer, middle and inner.At the outer ear, sound waves pass through the ear canal and hit the ear drum, causing the eardrum to vibrate at the frequency of the sound waves hitting it.In the middle ear, the ossicles (the 'hammer, anvil and stirrup' bones) transmit the vibrations from the eardrum to the oval window (a membrane linking the middle ear to the inner ear).The middle ear is filled with air, whereas the inner ear is filled with fluid. When sound passes between media of different densities, some of the sound is reflected and lost rather than transmitted. The ossicles help to transmit sound energy from air to fluid with as little reflection as possible. This is called impedance matching, fyi.Additionally, the way the ossicles are arranged allows for a mechanical advantage of about 1.5. This means the forces of the vibrations at the oval window are increased by half.Furthermore, the area of the oval window is around 15 times smaller than the area of the ear drum. Since pressure = force/area, this fact as well as the mechanical advantage of 1.5 means that there is a greater pressure on the oval window due to the vibrations.Essentially, the amplitude of the vibration is increased between the outer ear and middle ear.In the inner ear or cochlea, there is an organ called the Organ of Corti, in which these vibrations are turned into electrical signals and sent to the brain.Within the Organ of Corti there is the basilar membrane, which is what distinguishes the frequencies of sound.The basilar membrane is a stiff structure that is tapered on one end and is lined with hair cells. It is stiffer on one end (nearer to the oval window) and floppier on the far end.When vibrations pass through the fluid in the inner ear, the differing levels of stiffness along the basilar membrane cause different areas of the membrane to resonate at different frequencies.Higher frequency sounds cause maximum vibration (due to resonance) at the narrower, stiffer end of the basilar membrane. Lower frequency sounds resonate at the wider, floppier end of the membrane.There are more than 2000 hair cells along the basilar membrane and they are very sensitive to movement. The vibration of the membrane causes the hair cells to be displaced, and this causes pulses in nerve fibers which translates them into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.
Effect of high frequency sounds in birds?
effect of high frequency sounds
How does the cochlea of the inner ear help you hear?
The cochlea has hairs cells that ride on the basilar membrane. These hair cells convert the mechanical vibration of sound waves into an electrical signal and excite the auditory nerve's 30 000 fibers. The auditory nerve transports the signal to the brainstem. Since each hair cell is on a different part of the basilar membrane, each hair cell is best excited by a different frequency. Thus, each nerve fiber carries auditory information about a different frequency to the brain.
