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For telling if a sound is coming from the left or the right, direction is mostly determined by amplitude. This is easily done because one's ears are located on the left and right side of one's head. However, we do not have ears on the front and back of our heads(thank God, that would look silly). So how are we able to tell whether or not a sound comes from the front or the rear. This is done with the following design:

The part of your ear that's all cartilage (pinna) is shaped kind of like a funnel - but a shallow, really irregular one. Depending on the direction the sound comes from, it hits the ear in a different way, altering the frequencies that get amplified. Think of an instrument - a guitar has a lot of space for vibrations, so bigger, low-pitched sounds get amplified; a piccolo has almost no space, so very small high-frequency vibrations are amplified and any lower-frequency waves hit the inner wall of the instrument and get silenced. Every one of the little valleys and furrows in the ear alter the pitch slightly, canceling out some frequencies and amplifying others. This means that sounds from above, behind, or below you have been altered in very specific ways by the time they reach the auditory canal, and these alterations clue you in to the "angle of impact".

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Vada Boyer

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3y ago

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How does moving your head let you tell where a sound is coming from?

Moving your head allows your ears to detect differences in sound arrival time and intensity. These differences help your brain localize the source of the sound by comparing the information received by both ears. By moving your head, you can triangulate the sound's direction based on these auditory cues.


Why is it hard to tell the direction of sound underwater?

Sound travels faster and farther in water than in air, which can make it difficult to accurately determine the direction of a sound source underwater. Additionally, underwater environments tend to have more acoustic reflections and distortions, further complicating the perception of sound direction.


Can you tell where the sound comes from when your blindfolded?

Yes, if both of your ears are free, then you should be able to detect the direction from which a sound is coming. Your brain detects direction of sound by the minute difference in volume of sound and the slight delay in sound reaching one ear if your head is turned away from the sound source. ; - If one of your ears were fully plugged, you would not be able to detect the direction of the sound without turning your head. If the sound is more or less continuous, however, you would turn your head and by the differences in volume, determine the sound source. ; - By the way, if the sound source is moving, you should also be able to detect the direction it is moving the the rising or falling pitch of the sound. To test this out, stand by a railway crossing when a train is approaching while blowing it's whistle. The pitch of the whistle will change as the train approaches and again as it retreats from your position. Does the pitch rise or fall as the train approaches? ; - This Is The Hypothesis But, You Can Use It As An Abstract ;


How do you know a sound is from behind you and not in front?

well your ears can tell whether sound is coming from behing or infront of you. there is another way though if sound is behind you it is quiter which means if sound is in front of you it is louder


What two things does velocity tell about an objects motion?

Velocity tells us the speed at which an object is moving and the direction in which it is moving.

Related Questions

How does the brain tell from which direction a sound comes answers.com psychology?

The brain picks up the vibrations from the sound waves. It would be like if your phone vibrated on you in your pocket, you could immediatly tell where it was coming from, right?


How does moving your head let you tell where a sound is coming from?

Moving your head allows your ears to detect differences in sound arrival time and intensity. These differences help your brain localize the source of the sound by comparing the information received by both ears. By moving your head, you can triangulate the sound's direction based on these auditory cues.


Can you tell where sound comes from blindfolded?

yes, vision dosnt matter


Why is it hard to tell the direction of sound underwater?

Sound travels faster and farther in water than in air, which can make it difficult to accurately determine the direction of a sound source underwater. Additionally, underwater environments tend to have more acoustic reflections and distortions, further complicating the perception of sound direction.


Can you tell where a spacific sound came from if you're blindfolded?

Human hearing, when it is normal, can allow a blindfolded person to detect the general direction a sound is coming from. The brain can detect the slight time difference between when the sound is detected by one ear and when that sound is detected by the other ear. It should also be noted that at lower sound frequency, human hearing is less able to accurately detect the direction of a sound. That's why a single subwoofer speaker can be used in a sound system while pairs of speakers are the norm for recreating stereo or 3D sound.


How do you tell which wood is hardest?

Bang it on the ground then listen to see if the sound comes back


Can you tell where sound is coming from blind folded?

In most of the cases you tell the same with some practice. You will be confused only when the sound comes exactly perpendicular to both the ears. In that case you may not be able to tell whether the sound is coming from front or back.


What is the reason of whistling sound?

when my bike stand outside at 60°c a whistling sound comes from fuel tank cap. could you tell the reason?


Can you tell where the sound comes from when your blindfolded?

Yes, if both of your ears are free, then you should be able to detect the direction from which a sound is coming. Your brain detects direction of sound by the minute difference in volume of sound and the slight delay in sound reaching one ear if your head is turned away from the sound source. ; - If one of your ears were fully plugged, you would not be able to detect the direction of the sound without turning your head. If the sound is more or less continuous, however, you would turn your head and by the differences in volume, determine the sound source. ; - By the way, if the sound source is moving, you should also be able to detect the direction it is moving the the rising or falling pitch of the sound. To test this out, stand by a railway crossing when a train is approaching while blowing it's whistle. The pitch of the whistle will change as the train approaches and again as it retreats from your position. Does the pitch rise or fall as the train approaches? ; - This Is The Hypothesis But, You Can Use It As An Abstract ;


How do you know a sound is from behind you and not in front?

well your ears can tell whether sound is coming from behing or infront of you. there is another way though if sound is behind you it is quiter which means if sound is in front of you it is louder


Give one advantage of stereophonic hearing?

Stereophonic hearing, made possible by having two ears rather than just one, enables us to tell the direction from which sound is coming.


When call comes no sound in my Motorola g3 phone. How can I resolve it. Please tell me?

The best thing is to take it to your provider and have them check it out.