Acoustic waves are pressure swings that transmit sound through solid, liquid, or gas. They are defined by wavelength, frequency, and amplitude. The ear collects sound waves, which vibrate the eardrum and three tiny bones in the middle ear. The vibrations are transformed into electrical impulses that the brain interprets as sound. Hair cells in the cochlea send signals to the brain, which interprets them as sound. Regular sound wave patterns are interpreted as pleasant, while irregular patterns are noise.
An acoustic wave is a pressure swing that travels through a solid, liquid or gas in a wave-like pattern. It transmits sound by vibrating the organs in the ear which produce the sensation of hearing. Also called sound waves, they are defined by three characteristics: wavelength, frequency and amplitude.
Wavelength is the distance from the crest of one wave to the next. Frequency is the number of waves that pass a point every second. Sound waves with higher frequencies have higher pitches than those with lower frequencies. Amplitude is the measure of energy in a wave and affects its volume. The greater the amplitude of an acoustic wave, the louder the sound.
These waves are what allow humans and other animals to hear. A person’s ear perceives the vibrations of an acoustic wave and interprets it as sound. The outer ear, the visible part, is shaped like a funnel to collect sound waves and send them into the ear canal, where they hit the eardrum, which is a taut piece of skin that vibrates in time with the wave. The eardrum starts a chain reaction and sends vibration through three tiny bones in the middle ear which amplify sound. Those bones are called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.
From here, the vibrations are transformed into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret. The stapes bone presses against the fluid-filled cochlea, or hearing organ, in time with the wave. The fluid within the cochlea moves due to pressure from the stapes bone and, in turn, moves a membrane lined with hair cells buried within the fluid.
Hair cells move in the pattern of the acoustic wave, sending signals to nerve cells that carry their interpretation of the wave to the brain. The brain interprets the signals as sound and as a result people hear. The human brain likes patterns, and interestingly, it interprets regular sound wave patterns as pleasant, irregular wave patterns as nothing but noise.
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