 | Term | Definition |
| |
sound |
stimulation of the auditory nerve in the human ear |
| |
subjective |
dependent on the individuals point of view |
| |
objective |
dependent on external evidence and not on thoughts or feelings |
| |
infrasonic |
frequencies less than 20hz |
| |
ultrasonic |
frequencies > 20000hz |
| |
Mach Number |
used to measure speeds for supersonic aircraft |
| |
pitch |
term often used to substitute for frequency in music |
| |
decibel |
unit used to measure the intensity of sound |
| |
parabolic microphones |
used to pick up remote sound |
| |
echos |
when sound is reflected and heard by transmitters |
| |
echo sounder |
measures depth of sea |
| |
radar |
uses radio waves instead of sound |
| |
sonar |
used to find flaws in solid objects, diagnose brain damage, detect breast cancer, and ultrasound |
| |
revertibration |
when echos so closely behind the original that the original appears prolonged |
| |
revertibration time |
the time required for sound of a standard intensity to die away and become inaudible |
| |
diffraction |
ability of waves to move around an obstacle |
| |
refraction |
bending of waves at an angle from one medium to another |
| |
hershal tube |
apparatus used to demonstrate interference of sound waves |
| |
beats |
periodic changes in sound intensity |
| |
beat frequency |
# of max intensity points that occur per second |
| |
fundamental mode |
the string vibrates in one segment |
| |
overtones |
the string vibrates in more than one segment |
| |
harmonies |
when the string vibrates in multiples of fundamental frequencies |
| |
quality |
depends on the # and relative intensity of the overtones it produces |
| |
music |
combonations of musical notes that originate from a source vibrating in a uniform manner w/ constance frequency |
| |
noise |
sound with vibrations that are constantly changing frequency |
| |
consonants |
combo of pleasing musical notes |
| |
dissonance |
combo that have harsh effect |
| |
diatonic effect |
the 8 note scale based on experiences and multinational theory |
| |
sound barriers |
when wavefronts pile up and produce an area of very dense air or an intense compression |
| |
sonic boom |
when sound waves left behind an aircraft interfere constructively producing large compressions and rarefactions |
| |
Doppler effect |
an apparent change in the frequency of a wave due to the motion of the observer or the source of the wave. Can be used to measure the speed of an object |
