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If sound is a longitudinal wave, why can we hear it if our ears aren't aligned with the propagation direction?
Sound - what happens with the particles when a wave passesWhy do I hear beats through headphones only at low frequencies?Why do we think of light as a wave?Can sound be propagated without initial mechanical interference?Do particles in a sound wave ever move transversally?What is the mechanism that moves an air molecule backwards in a sound wave?Why we cannot hear ourselves or speak in waterHow does a flute produce its sound?Why cannot longitudinal waves travel through space (vacuum)?Does a sound wave have to accelerate to get to that speed in air?
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If a sound wave travels to the right, then the air molecules inside only vibrate left and right, because sound is a longitudinal wave. This is only a one-dimensional motion. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
waves acoustics
New contributor
$endgroup$
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show 8 more comments
$begingroup$
If a sound wave travels to the right, then the air molecules inside only vibrate left and right, because sound is a longitudinal wave. This is only a one-dimensional motion. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
waves acoustics
New contributor
$endgroup$
2
$begingroup$
it is not that simple . see hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/sprop.html and links
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– anna v
Mar 8 at 5:08
3
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This website has some nice animations to show the three dimensional nature of longitudinal sound waves.
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– Farcher
2 days ago
3
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Here's another pretty good explanation with animations, courtesy of the University of Southampton.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
Almost everybody commenting or answering has completely misinterpreted the question. There is no need to rehash the entirety of an introductory course of waves, in 10 little bits and pieces, when the actual question is much more specific.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@knzhou: The question seems to have changed significantly since it was first asked (and it wasn't all that clear to begin with). I'm not sure whether your edits have really brought it closer to or further away from what the OP originally intended to ask.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
yesterday
|
show 8 more comments
$begingroup$
If a sound wave travels to the right, then the air molecules inside only vibrate left and right, because sound is a longitudinal wave. This is only a one-dimensional motion. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
waves acoustics
New contributor
$endgroup$
If a sound wave travels to the right, then the air molecules inside only vibrate left and right, because sound is a longitudinal wave. This is only a one-dimensional motion. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
waves acoustics
waves acoustics
New contributor
New contributor
edited yesterday
knzhou
44.8k11122217
44.8k11122217
New contributor
asked Mar 8 at 4:54
Sarvesh ThiruppathiSarvesh Thiruppathi
986
986
New contributor
New contributor
2
$begingroup$
it is not that simple . see hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/sprop.html and links
$endgroup$
– anna v
Mar 8 at 5:08
3
$begingroup$
This website has some nice animations to show the three dimensional nature of longitudinal sound waves.
$endgroup$
– Farcher
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
Here's another pretty good explanation with animations, courtesy of the University of Southampton.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
Almost everybody commenting or answering has completely misinterpreted the question. There is no need to rehash the entirety of an introductory course of waves, in 10 little bits and pieces, when the actual question is much more specific.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@knzhou: The question seems to have changed significantly since it was first asked (and it wasn't all that clear to begin with). I'm not sure whether your edits have really brought it closer to or further away from what the OP originally intended to ask.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
yesterday
|
show 8 more comments
2
$begingroup$
it is not that simple . see hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/sprop.html and links
$endgroup$
– anna v
Mar 8 at 5:08
3
$begingroup$
This website has some nice animations to show the three dimensional nature of longitudinal sound waves.
$endgroup$
– Farcher
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
Here's another pretty good explanation with animations, courtesy of the University of Southampton.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
Almost everybody commenting or answering has completely misinterpreted the question. There is no need to rehash the entirety of an introductory course of waves, in 10 little bits and pieces, when the actual question is much more specific.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@knzhou: The question seems to have changed significantly since it was first asked (and it wasn't all that clear to begin with). I'm not sure whether your edits have really brought it closer to or further away from what the OP originally intended to ask.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
yesterday
2
2
$begingroup$
it is not that simple . see hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/sprop.html and links
$endgroup$
– anna v
Mar 8 at 5:08
$begingroup$
it is not that simple . see hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/sprop.html and links
$endgroup$
– anna v
Mar 8 at 5:08
3
3
$begingroup$
This website has some nice animations to show the three dimensional nature of longitudinal sound waves.
$endgroup$
– Farcher
2 days ago
$begingroup$
This website has some nice animations to show the three dimensional nature of longitudinal sound waves.
$endgroup$
– Farcher
2 days ago
3
3
$begingroup$
Here's another pretty good explanation with animations, courtesy of the University of Southampton.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Here's another pretty good explanation with animations, courtesy of the University of Southampton.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
2 days ago
3
3
$begingroup$
Almost everybody commenting or answering has completely misinterpreted the question. There is no need to rehash the entirety of an introductory course of waves, in 10 little bits and pieces, when the actual question is much more specific.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
Almost everybody commenting or answering has completely misinterpreted the question. There is no need to rehash the entirety of an introductory course of waves, in 10 little bits and pieces, when the actual question is much more specific.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
1
1
$begingroup$
@knzhou: The question seems to have changed significantly since it was first asked (and it wasn't all that clear to begin with). I'm not sure whether your edits have really brought it closer to or further away from what the OP originally intended to ask.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou: The question seems to have changed significantly since it was first asked (and it wasn't all that clear to begin with). I'm not sure whether your edits have really brought it closer to or further away from what the OP originally intended to ask.
$endgroup$
– Ilmari Karonen
yesterday
|
show 8 more comments
9 Answers
9
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
vibration is only a one dimensional motion
This is not generally true. As a trivial example, one could the movements of water in a pond where a few small rocks have been tossed. The motion is definitely a wave behavior, and could even be called vibration, but it is most definitely not one dimensional.
Another potential example would be the vibrator on your phone, which vibrates in a circular manner.
But in the end, the key is that atoms in a sound wave don't vibrate "left and right." They are a longitudinal wave, in which particles move in the direction of the wave's motion and back.
So when something causes a sound, the waves propagate outward from the object creating the sound, as molecules of gas move away from the source and towards the source. This is typically a 3 dimensional pattern
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
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– dbmag9
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
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Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought. That means the vibration and the direction of propagation for sound wave are parallel. And the vibration is caused by difference in air pressure at different places. To the question "how I can listen to it" thats because the pressure difference propagates toward your ear and force your eardrum to vibrate.
New contributor
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Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
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– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
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– peterh
2 days ago
1
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"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
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– knzhou
yesterday
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@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
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– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
1
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@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
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– knzhou
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
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Sound travels outwards from a source in all directions. The waves that are set in motion are spherical.
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2
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Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
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– amI
2 days ago
add a comment |
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Re. from one of your comments: "But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre" and also this one: "But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop"
I think part of you confusion comes from this: Even with a longitudinal wave where the particle motion is parallel to the waves propagation direction, the particles do not travel with the wave. They only move back and forth along the direction of wave propagation. So the particles are not carried along with the wave. (It is obvious that this is true for a transverse wave.)
Referring to your original question, unless sound is focused into a beam it generally propagates equally in all directions. If it is focused into a beam and you were off to one side anything you hear would be due to sidelobes which are lower in amplitude than the main lobe and could be near zero.
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add a comment |
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The revised question, as I understand it, amounts to asking how it is possible for a sound wave propagating along (instead of towards) a wall with a small hole in it to generate any sound waves on the other side of the hole. I have drawn a diagram of what I believe happens in this case:
The hole bleeds off some of the acoustic energy of the plane wave, and uses it to generate a circular wave on the other side of the wall, as if it were a point source. This is an example of diffraction. I know for certain that this is what happens when the plane wave propagates toward the hole, and I think in this simple case the angle between the plane wave and the wall would only affect the intensity of the circular wave, but I'm not sure of that and the Wikipedia page on diffraction doesn't say anything about the angle. Can anyone confirm?
(N.B. A human's external ear has a much more complicated shape, which has evolved to efficiently gather sound waves passing the head in any direction and direct them into the ear canal, but the physical mechanism by which it does this is the same.)
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add a comment |
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You could use an explosion as a metaphor. The shockwaves "push" the air around in a spherical pattern, which then gets "sucked" back due to the low pressure left behind.
In a sense, soundwaves are just very slow and small shockwaves.
This video shows it really well.
New contributor
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+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
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– Kevin
2 days ago
add a comment |
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There is more than one way to describe the amplitude of a sound wave. You can describe it as a displacement, in which case it's a vector with units of meters. On the other hand, you can also describe it as a pressure, which is a scalar with SI units of pascals.
It's possible to have a sound sensor whose response is proportional to the displacement, or one whose response is proportional to the pressure. The ear acts like the latter, because the eardrum is a membrane, and the membrane distorts in response to the pressure difference between the inner ear and the outside air. Therefore the ear is not sensitive to the direction in which the wave was propagating (although there are other cues that allow us to infer this for some frequencies, because we have binaural hearing).
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add a comment |
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Re. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
The eardrums react to the pressure difference from one side to the other side. Since the sound waves have a long wavelength compared to the diameter of the eardrum, the ears are not that sensitive to the incoming direction of the sound wave. If the incoming direction is perpendicular or parallel the pressure difference varying with time across the eardrum will be the same. It makes no difference whether the waves are longitudinal or transverse.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength
"The wavelengths of sound frequencies audible to the human ear (20 Hz–20 kHz) are thus between approximately 17 m and 17 mm, respectively."
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add a comment |
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While the mean air motion of the wave is in one direction (assuming a plane wave), the air molecules actually move in all directions. They are in local thermal equilibrium (due to frequent randomizing collisions), which is what gives meaning to pressure as the basis for modeling acoustics. This random molecular motion in all directions is at speeds of order the speed of sound, hundreds of meters per second.
The mean motion (longitudinal) is an oscillating displacement of micrometers or less for typical sounds, at kilohertz frequencies, corresponding to a speed of millimeters per second at most. It can be much less for faint sounds. The ear is a remarkably sensitive detector!
The ear canal is smaller than the wavelengths of audible sound. Thus, as sound passes by in any direction, the ear mainly responds to the pressure oscillations without regard to the direction of the wave. When a pressure peak surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) pumped into the ear, due to the random motions that equilibrate pressure. When a trough surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) sucked out of the ear. This happens at the frequency of the sound (say a thousand times per second), vibrating the eardrum.
Zwol's answer correctly notes that this can be seen as an instance of diffraction. It is a limit in which the hole is so small that the pressure at any instant is nearly uniform over the hole, so diffraction through the hole is nearly independent of the incident angle.
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add a comment |
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9 Answers
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9 Answers
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$begingroup$
vibration is only a one dimensional motion
This is not generally true. As a trivial example, one could the movements of water in a pond where a few small rocks have been tossed. The motion is definitely a wave behavior, and could even be called vibration, but it is most definitely not one dimensional.
Another potential example would be the vibrator on your phone, which vibrates in a circular manner.
But in the end, the key is that atoms in a sound wave don't vibrate "left and right." They are a longitudinal wave, in which particles move in the direction of the wave's motion and back.
So when something causes a sound, the waves propagate outward from the object creating the sound, as molecules of gas move away from the source and towards the source. This is typically a 3 dimensional pattern
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
$endgroup$
– dbmag9
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
vibration is only a one dimensional motion
This is not generally true. As a trivial example, one could the movements of water in a pond where a few small rocks have been tossed. The motion is definitely a wave behavior, and could even be called vibration, but it is most definitely not one dimensional.
Another potential example would be the vibrator on your phone, which vibrates in a circular manner.
But in the end, the key is that atoms in a sound wave don't vibrate "left and right." They are a longitudinal wave, in which particles move in the direction of the wave's motion and back.
So when something causes a sound, the waves propagate outward from the object creating the sound, as molecules of gas move away from the source and towards the source. This is typically a 3 dimensional pattern
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
$endgroup$
– dbmag9
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
vibration is only a one dimensional motion
This is not generally true. As a trivial example, one could the movements of water in a pond where a few small rocks have been tossed. The motion is definitely a wave behavior, and could even be called vibration, but it is most definitely not one dimensional.
Another potential example would be the vibrator on your phone, which vibrates in a circular manner.
But in the end, the key is that atoms in a sound wave don't vibrate "left and right." They are a longitudinal wave, in which particles move in the direction of the wave's motion and back.
So when something causes a sound, the waves propagate outward from the object creating the sound, as molecules of gas move away from the source and towards the source. This is typically a 3 dimensional pattern
$endgroup$
vibration is only a one dimensional motion
This is not generally true. As a trivial example, one could the movements of water in a pond where a few small rocks have been tossed. The motion is definitely a wave behavior, and could even be called vibration, but it is most definitely not one dimensional.
Another potential example would be the vibrator on your phone, which vibrates in a circular manner.
But in the end, the key is that atoms in a sound wave don't vibrate "left and right." They are a longitudinal wave, in which particles move in the direction of the wave's motion and back.
So when something causes a sound, the waves propagate outward from the object creating the sound, as molecules of gas move away from the source and towards the source. This is typically a 3 dimensional pattern
answered Mar 8 at 5:09
Cort AmmonCort Ammon
23.6k34779
23.6k34779
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
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– dbmag9
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
3
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
$endgroup$
– dbmag9
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Hi, Thanks for the answer , it was really helpful. I still have doubt in the last paragraph of your answer. Can you explain it with more details. Also I never said that sound wave is a transverse wave , by left and right i meant to - and - fro.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Also , by 3 dimensional pattern , you mean a spherical kind of pattern , right ? But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
2
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi In a sense, yes, as the particles move apart it creates a low pressure region, but this acts as the restoring force to bring them back together. These pressure variations are usually very small, though. For example, a typical conversation between 2 people generates pressure variations of about 2*10^-7 atmospheres.
$endgroup$
– Kyle
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
3
3
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
$endgroup$
– dbmag9
2 days ago
$begingroup$
@SarveshThiruppathi If a sound wave is emitted for a long period of time, that means the source of the sound is vibrating for a long period of time. The wavelength would still be the same as if the same sound were emitted for a short period of time, so the vacuum you're imagining between waves wouldn't exist. What does make a difference is the volume (loudness) of the sound, which is why (roughly) there is a maximum possible volume which is reached when there is a vacuum between each wave.
$endgroup$
– dbmag9
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought. That means the vibration and the direction of propagation for sound wave are parallel. And the vibration is caused by difference in air pressure at different places. To the question "how I can listen to it" thats because the pressure difference propagates toward your ear and force your eardrum to vibrate.
New contributor
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
$endgroup$
– peterh
2 days ago
1
$begingroup$
"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
$endgroup$
– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought. That means the vibration and the direction of propagation for sound wave are parallel. And the vibration is caused by difference in air pressure at different places. To the question "how I can listen to it" thats because the pressure difference propagates toward your ear and force your eardrum to vibrate.
New contributor
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
$endgroup$
– peterh
2 days ago
1
$begingroup$
"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
$endgroup$
– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought. That means the vibration and the direction of propagation for sound wave are parallel. And the vibration is caused by difference in air pressure at different places. To the question "how I can listen to it" thats because the pressure difference propagates toward your ear and force your eardrum to vibrate.
New contributor
$endgroup$
Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought. That means the vibration and the direction of propagation for sound wave are parallel. And the vibration is caused by difference in air pressure at different places. To the question "how I can listen to it" thats because the pressure difference propagates toward your ear and force your eardrum to vibrate.
New contributor
New contributor
answered Mar 8 at 5:10
user10842694user10842694
1252
1252
New contributor
New contributor
1
$begingroup$
Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
$endgroup$
– peterh
2 days ago
1
$begingroup$
"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
$endgroup$
– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
1
$begingroup$
Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
$endgroup$
– peterh
2 days ago
1
$begingroup$
"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
$endgroup$
– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
1
1
$begingroup$
Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Hi, I would like to point out two things from your answer. I never said a sound is a transverse wave. Also can you provide a explanation of how the sound wave propagated towards us.
$endgroup$
– Sarvesh Thiruppathi
2 days ago
2
2
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
$endgroup$
– peterh
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Note, sound can be also a transverse wave, but only in solid materials (others don't have a shear stress). It has different properties than the longitudinal sound. This is how the internal properties of the Earth were discovered (liquid mantle, solid core). Also the electromagnetic and gravitational fields propagate as transverse waves.
$endgroup$
– peterh
2 days ago
1
1
$begingroup$
"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
"Sound wave is not a transverse wave, as you thought." This is nowhere in the OP's statement. As far as I'm concerned, this answer doesn't address the question at all.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
$endgroup$
– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
$begingroup$
@knzhou I agree. -1. I'm not sure how this has gotten so many up votes
$endgroup$
– Aaron Stevens
yesterday
1
1
$begingroup$
@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
$begingroup$
@user10842694 I edited the question to make it a little clearer, but it was already clear in the first version that he wasn't asking "is sound a transverse wave". It blows my mind how half the answers here have answered that question instead.
$endgroup$
– knzhou
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
Sound travels outwards from a source in all directions. The waves that are set in motion are spherical.
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2
$begingroup$
Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
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– amI
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Sound travels outwards from a source in all directions. The waves that are set in motion are spherical.
$endgroup$
2
$begingroup$
Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
$endgroup$
– amI
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Sound travels outwards from a source in all directions. The waves that are set in motion are spherical.
$endgroup$
Sound travels outwards from a source in all directions. The waves that are set in motion are spherical.
answered Mar 8 at 5:09
niels nielsenniels nielsen
20.5k53061
20.5k53061
2
$begingroup$
Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
$endgroup$
– amI
2 days ago
add a comment |
2
$begingroup$
Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
$endgroup$
– amI
2 days ago
2
2
$begingroup$
Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
$endgroup$
– amI
2 days ago
$begingroup$
Yes -- even though a 'speaker' may push air molecules in a certain direction, this just creates a volume of higher pressure air, which then expands in all directions.
$endgroup$
– amI
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Re. from one of your comments: "But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre" and also this one: "But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop"
I think part of you confusion comes from this: Even with a longitudinal wave where the particle motion is parallel to the waves propagation direction, the particles do not travel with the wave. They only move back and forth along the direction of wave propagation. So the particles are not carried along with the wave. (It is obvious that this is true for a transverse wave.)
Referring to your original question, unless sound is focused into a beam it generally propagates equally in all directions. If it is focused into a beam and you were off to one side anything you hear would be due to sidelobes which are lower in amplitude than the main lobe and could be near zero.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Re. from one of your comments: "But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre" and also this one: "But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop"
I think part of you confusion comes from this: Even with a longitudinal wave where the particle motion is parallel to the waves propagation direction, the particles do not travel with the wave. They only move back and forth along the direction of wave propagation. So the particles are not carried along with the wave. (It is obvious that this is true for a transverse wave.)
Referring to your original question, unless sound is focused into a beam it generally propagates equally in all directions. If it is focused into a beam and you were off to one side anything you hear would be due to sidelobes which are lower in amplitude than the main lobe and could be near zero.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Re. from one of your comments: "But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre" and also this one: "But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop"
I think part of you confusion comes from this: Even with a longitudinal wave where the particle motion is parallel to the waves propagation direction, the particles do not travel with the wave. They only move back and forth along the direction of wave propagation. So the particles are not carried along with the wave. (It is obvious that this is true for a transverse wave.)
Referring to your original question, unless sound is focused into a beam it generally propagates equally in all directions. If it is focused into a beam and you were off to one side anything you hear would be due to sidelobes which are lower in amplitude than the main lobe and could be near zero.
$endgroup$
Re. from one of your comments: "But when the air molecule from the centre keeps moving away ,won't there be a vacuum created at the centre" and also this one: "But if the sound wave is emitted for long periods, wouldn't there be a complete vacuum and the sound wave would stop"
I think part of you confusion comes from this: Even with a longitudinal wave where the particle motion is parallel to the waves propagation direction, the particles do not travel with the wave. They only move back and forth along the direction of wave propagation. So the particles are not carried along with the wave. (It is obvious that this is true for a transverse wave.)
Referring to your original question, unless sound is focused into a beam it generally propagates equally in all directions. If it is focused into a beam and you were off to one side anything you hear would be due to sidelobes which are lower in amplitude than the main lobe and could be near zero.
answered 2 days ago
user45664user45664
1,3252825
1,3252825
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The revised question, as I understand it, amounts to asking how it is possible for a sound wave propagating along (instead of towards) a wall with a small hole in it to generate any sound waves on the other side of the hole. I have drawn a diagram of what I believe happens in this case:
The hole bleeds off some of the acoustic energy of the plane wave, and uses it to generate a circular wave on the other side of the wall, as if it were a point source. This is an example of diffraction. I know for certain that this is what happens when the plane wave propagates toward the hole, and I think in this simple case the angle between the plane wave and the wall would only affect the intensity of the circular wave, but I'm not sure of that and the Wikipedia page on diffraction doesn't say anything about the angle. Can anyone confirm?
(N.B. A human's external ear has a much more complicated shape, which has evolved to efficiently gather sound waves passing the head in any direction and direct them into the ear canal, but the physical mechanism by which it does this is the same.)
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The revised question, as I understand it, amounts to asking how it is possible for a sound wave propagating along (instead of towards) a wall with a small hole in it to generate any sound waves on the other side of the hole. I have drawn a diagram of what I believe happens in this case:
The hole bleeds off some of the acoustic energy of the plane wave, and uses it to generate a circular wave on the other side of the wall, as if it were a point source. This is an example of diffraction. I know for certain that this is what happens when the plane wave propagates toward the hole, and I think in this simple case the angle between the plane wave and the wall would only affect the intensity of the circular wave, but I'm not sure of that and the Wikipedia page on diffraction doesn't say anything about the angle. Can anyone confirm?
(N.B. A human's external ear has a much more complicated shape, which has evolved to efficiently gather sound waves passing the head in any direction and direct them into the ear canal, but the physical mechanism by which it does this is the same.)
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The revised question, as I understand it, amounts to asking how it is possible for a sound wave propagating along (instead of towards) a wall with a small hole in it to generate any sound waves on the other side of the hole. I have drawn a diagram of what I believe happens in this case:
The hole bleeds off some of the acoustic energy of the plane wave, and uses it to generate a circular wave on the other side of the wall, as if it were a point source. This is an example of diffraction. I know for certain that this is what happens when the plane wave propagates toward the hole, and I think in this simple case the angle between the plane wave and the wall would only affect the intensity of the circular wave, but I'm not sure of that and the Wikipedia page on diffraction doesn't say anything about the angle. Can anyone confirm?
(N.B. A human's external ear has a much more complicated shape, which has evolved to efficiently gather sound waves passing the head in any direction and direct them into the ear canal, but the physical mechanism by which it does this is the same.)
$endgroup$
The revised question, as I understand it, amounts to asking how it is possible for a sound wave propagating along (instead of towards) a wall with a small hole in it to generate any sound waves on the other side of the hole. I have drawn a diagram of what I believe happens in this case:
The hole bleeds off some of the acoustic energy of the plane wave, and uses it to generate a circular wave on the other side of the wall, as if it were a point source. This is an example of diffraction. I know for certain that this is what happens when the plane wave propagates toward the hole, and I think in this simple case the angle between the plane wave and the wall would only affect the intensity of the circular wave, but I'm not sure of that and the Wikipedia page on diffraction doesn't say anything about the angle. Can anyone confirm?
(N.B. A human's external ear has a much more complicated shape, which has evolved to efficiently gather sound waves passing the head in any direction and direct them into the ear canal, but the physical mechanism by which it does this is the same.)
answered yesterday
zwolzwol
959615
959615
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
You could use an explosion as a metaphor. The shockwaves "push" the air around in a spherical pattern, which then gets "sucked" back due to the low pressure left behind.
In a sense, soundwaves are just very slow and small shockwaves.
This video shows it really well.
New contributor
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
You could use an explosion as a metaphor. The shockwaves "push" the air around in a spherical pattern, which then gets "sucked" back due to the low pressure left behind.
In a sense, soundwaves are just very slow and small shockwaves.
This video shows it really well.
New contributor
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
You could use an explosion as a metaphor. The shockwaves "push" the air around in a spherical pattern, which then gets "sucked" back due to the low pressure left behind.
In a sense, soundwaves are just very slow and small shockwaves.
This video shows it really well.
New contributor
$endgroup$
You could use an explosion as a metaphor. The shockwaves "push" the air around in a spherical pattern, which then gets "sucked" back due to the low pressure left behind.
In a sense, soundwaves are just very slow and small shockwaves.
This video shows it really well.
New contributor
New contributor
answered 2 days ago
DanielDaniel
211
211
New contributor
New contributor
$begingroup$
+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
2 days ago
$begingroup$
+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
2 days ago
$begingroup$
+1 - was going to post an answer explaining it via explosion. But... you might consider taking out "just very slow and small shockwaves" and replacing it with, "smaller, and usually either repeated or patterned shockwaves - a musical note is just small shockwaves in a specific timing pattern." or similar.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
2 days ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is more than one way to describe the amplitude of a sound wave. You can describe it as a displacement, in which case it's a vector with units of meters. On the other hand, you can also describe it as a pressure, which is a scalar with SI units of pascals.
It's possible to have a sound sensor whose response is proportional to the displacement, or one whose response is proportional to the pressure. The ear acts like the latter, because the eardrum is a membrane, and the membrane distorts in response to the pressure difference between the inner ear and the outside air. Therefore the ear is not sensitive to the direction in which the wave was propagating (although there are other cues that allow us to infer this for some frequencies, because we have binaural hearing).
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is more than one way to describe the amplitude of a sound wave. You can describe it as a displacement, in which case it's a vector with units of meters. On the other hand, you can also describe it as a pressure, which is a scalar with SI units of pascals.
It's possible to have a sound sensor whose response is proportional to the displacement, or one whose response is proportional to the pressure. The ear acts like the latter, because the eardrum is a membrane, and the membrane distorts in response to the pressure difference between the inner ear and the outside air. Therefore the ear is not sensitive to the direction in which the wave was propagating (although there are other cues that allow us to infer this for some frequencies, because we have binaural hearing).
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is more than one way to describe the amplitude of a sound wave. You can describe it as a displacement, in which case it's a vector with units of meters. On the other hand, you can also describe it as a pressure, which is a scalar with SI units of pascals.
It's possible to have a sound sensor whose response is proportional to the displacement, or one whose response is proportional to the pressure. The ear acts like the latter, because the eardrum is a membrane, and the membrane distorts in response to the pressure difference between the inner ear and the outside air. Therefore the ear is not sensitive to the direction in which the wave was propagating (although there are other cues that allow us to infer this for some frequencies, because we have binaural hearing).
$endgroup$
There is more than one way to describe the amplitude of a sound wave. You can describe it as a displacement, in which case it's a vector with units of meters. On the other hand, you can also describe it as a pressure, which is a scalar with SI units of pascals.
It's possible to have a sound sensor whose response is proportional to the displacement, or one whose response is proportional to the pressure. The ear acts like the latter, because the eardrum is a membrane, and the membrane distorts in response to the pressure difference between the inner ear and the outside air. Therefore the ear is not sensitive to the direction in which the wave was propagating (although there are other cues that allow us to infer this for some frequencies, because we have binaural hearing).
answered yesterday
Ben CrowellBen Crowell
52.7k6162306
52.7k6162306
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Re. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
The eardrums react to the pressure difference from one side to the other side. Since the sound waves have a long wavelength compared to the diameter of the eardrum, the ears are not that sensitive to the incoming direction of the sound wave. If the incoming direction is perpendicular or parallel the pressure difference varying with time across the eardrum will be the same. It makes no difference whether the waves are longitudinal or transverse.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength
"The wavelengths of sound frequencies audible to the human ear (20 Hz–20 kHz) are thus between approximately 17 m and 17 mm, respectively."
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add a comment |
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Re. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
The eardrums react to the pressure difference from one side to the other side. Since the sound waves have a long wavelength compared to the diameter of the eardrum, the ears are not that sensitive to the incoming direction of the sound wave. If the incoming direction is perpendicular or parallel the pressure difference varying with time across the eardrum will be the same. It makes no difference whether the waves are longitudinal or transverse.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength
"The wavelengths of sound frequencies audible to the human ear (20 Hz–20 kHz) are thus between approximately 17 m and 17 mm, respectively."
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
Re. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
The eardrums react to the pressure difference from one side to the other side. Since the sound waves have a long wavelength compared to the diameter of the eardrum, the ears are not that sensitive to the incoming direction of the sound wave. If the incoming direction is perpendicular or parallel the pressure difference varying with time across the eardrum will be the same. It makes no difference whether the waves are longitudinal or transverse.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength
"The wavelengths of sound frequencies audible to the human ear (20 Hz–20 kHz) are thus between approximately 17 m and 17 mm, respectively."
$endgroup$
Re. If our ears are oriented perpendicular to this oscillation, e.g. if they are pointing straight up, how can we hear it?
The eardrums react to the pressure difference from one side to the other side. Since the sound waves have a long wavelength compared to the diameter of the eardrum, the ears are not that sensitive to the incoming direction of the sound wave. If the incoming direction is perpendicular or parallel the pressure difference varying with time across the eardrum will be the same. It makes no difference whether the waves are longitudinal or transverse.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength
"The wavelengths of sound frequencies audible to the human ear (20 Hz–20 kHz) are thus between approximately 17 m and 17 mm, respectively."
edited 13 hours ago
answered 13 hours ago
user45664user45664
1,3252825
1,3252825
add a comment |
add a comment |
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While the mean air motion of the wave is in one direction (assuming a plane wave), the air molecules actually move in all directions. They are in local thermal equilibrium (due to frequent randomizing collisions), which is what gives meaning to pressure as the basis for modeling acoustics. This random molecular motion in all directions is at speeds of order the speed of sound, hundreds of meters per second.
The mean motion (longitudinal) is an oscillating displacement of micrometers or less for typical sounds, at kilohertz frequencies, corresponding to a speed of millimeters per second at most. It can be much less for faint sounds. The ear is a remarkably sensitive detector!
The ear canal is smaller than the wavelengths of audible sound. Thus, as sound passes by in any direction, the ear mainly responds to the pressure oscillations without regard to the direction of the wave. When a pressure peak surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) pumped into the ear, due to the random motions that equilibrate pressure. When a trough surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) sucked out of the ear. This happens at the frequency of the sound (say a thousand times per second), vibrating the eardrum.
Zwol's answer correctly notes that this can be seen as an instance of diffraction. It is a limit in which the hole is so small that the pressure at any instant is nearly uniform over the hole, so diffraction through the hole is nearly independent of the incident angle.
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
While the mean air motion of the wave is in one direction (assuming a plane wave), the air molecules actually move in all directions. They are in local thermal equilibrium (due to frequent randomizing collisions), which is what gives meaning to pressure as the basis for modeling acoustics. This random molecular motion in all directions is at speeds of order the speed of sound, hundreds of meters per second.
The mean motion (longitudinal) is an oscillating displacement of micrometers or less for typical sounds, at kilohertz frequencies, corresponding to a speed of millimeters per second at most. It can be much less for faint sounds. The ear is a remarkably sensitive detector!
The ear canal is smaller than the wavelengths of audible sound. Thus, as sound passes by in any direction, the ear mainly responds to the pressure oscillations without regard to the direction of the wave. When a pressure peak surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) pumped into the ear, due to the random motions that equilibrate pressure. When a trough surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) sucked out of the ear. This happens at the frequency of the sound (say a thousand times per second), vibrating the eardrum.
Zwol's answer correctly notes that this can be seen as an instance of diffraction. It is a limit in which the hole is so small that the pressure at any instant is nearly uniform over the hole, so diffraction through the hole is nearly independent of the incident angle.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
While the mean air motion of the wave is in one direction (assuming a plane wave), the air molecules actually move in all directions. They are in local thermal equilibrium (due to frequent randomizing collisions), which is what gives meaning to pressure as the basis for modeling acoustics. This random molecular motion in all directions is at speeds of order the speed of sound, hundreds of meters per second.
The mean motion (longitudinal) is an oscillating displacement of micrometers or less for typical sounds, at kilohertz frequencies, corresponding to a speed of millimeters per second at most. It can be much less for faint sounds. The ear is a remarkably sensitive detector!
The ear canal is smaller than the wavelengths of audible sound. Thus, as sound passes by in any direction, the ear mainly responds to the pressure oscillations without regard to the direction of the wave. When a pressure peak surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) pumped into the ear, due to the random motions that equilibrate pressure. When a trough surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) sucked out of the ear. This happens at the frequency of the sound (say a thousand times per second), vibrating the eardrum.
Zwol's answer correctly notes that this can be seen as an instance of diffraction. It is a limit in which the hole is so small that the pressure at any instant is nearly uniform over the hole, so diffraction through the hole is nearly independent of the incident angle.
$endgroup$
While the mean air motion of the wave is in one direction (assuming a plane wave), the air molecules actually move in all directions. They are in local thermal equilibrium (due to frequent randomizing collisions), which is what gives meaning to pressure as the basis for modeling acoustics. This random molecular motion in all directions is at speeds of order the speed of sound, hundreds of meters per second.
The mean motion (longitudinal) is an oscillating displacement of micrometers or less for typical sounds, at kilohertz frequencies, corresponding to a speed of millimeters per second at most. It can be much less for faint sounds. The ear is a remarkably sensitive detector!
The ear canal is smaller than the wavelengths of audible sound. Thus, as sound passes by in any direction, the ear mainly responds to the pressure oscillations without regard to the direction of the wave. When a pressure peak surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) pumped into the ear, due to the random motions that equilibrate pressure. When a trough surrounds the ear, air is (slightly) sucked out of the ear. This happens at the frequency of the sound (say a thousand times per second), vibrating the eardrum.
Zwol's answer correctly notes that this can be seen as an instance of diffraction. It is a limit in which the hole is so small that the pressure at any instant is nearly uniform over the hole, so diffraction through the hole is nearly independent of the incident angle.
answered yesterday
nanomannanoman
1713
1713
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Sarvesh Thiruppathi is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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2
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it is not that simple . see hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/sprop.html and links
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– anna v
Mar 8 at 5:08
3
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This website has some nice animations to show the three dimensional nature of longitudinal sound waves.
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– Farcher
2 days ago
3
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Here's another pretty good explanation with animations, courtesy of the University of Southampton.
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– Ilmari Karonen
2 days ago
3
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Almost everybody commenting or answering has completely misinterpreted the question. There is no need to rehash the entirety of an introductory course of waves, in 10 little bits and pieces, when the actual question is much more specific.
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– knzhou
yesterday
1
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@knzhou: The question seems to have changed significantly since it was first asked (and it wasn't all that clear to begin with). I'm not sure whether your edits have really brought it closer to or further away from what the OP originally intended to ask.
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– Ilmari Karonen
yesterday