PSYC 2390 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Eardrum, Inner Ear, Sound Pressure

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2390
• Professor: Lana Trick

Document Summary

Mechanical energy: occurs when molecule hits up against another (pressure wave: sound is mechanical energy, this causes you rear drum to go back and forth, resuling in a movement in your ear (sound) Compression: when molecules get closer together than normal (air pressure is higher than normal) Rarefacion: when molecules spread out farther than normal (air pressure is lower than normal) Compression, then rarefacion occurs again and again when we hear sound. This is what happens when guitar strings are going back and forth for example. Properies of a sound wave: amplitude: height of wave perceived as loudness, measured in terms of sound pressure, the bigger the pressure change the louder the sound. Small amplitude = quiet: sound pressure levels (spl, sotest thing we can here = . 0002dymes / cm/cm, decibel scale expresses things as how many imes louder it is this than the loudest sound that we can here.