At approximately what frequency do most people perceive the least intense sounds?


Asked by maham237 @ in Physics viewed by 844 People


Although 0 dB is often referred to as the lower threshold of human hearing, it is important to realize that the human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies of sound. In other words, a particular noise may sound louder or softer depending on the frequency of the sound wave being transmitted. Because of this variation, scientists have defined a unit of loudness, called a phon, to represent the intensity of sound waves with a frequency of 1000 Hz: A 60-phon sound is one that is perceived by the human ear to have the same loudness as a sound wave with an intensity of 60 dB and a frequency of 1000 Hz .a) At approximately what frequency do most people perceive the least intense sounds?

b) For a sound at 100 Hz, what is the decibel level necessary for human perception?

c) How many times more intense is the least intense perceptible sound at 100 Hz compared to the least intense perceptible sound at 1000 Hz? Specifically, you are looking for the ratio I100Hz/I1000Hz.

Answered by maham237 @



Answer:

a) 3000 Hz;

b) 30 dB;

c) 1000 times.

Explanation:

a) From the human audiogram given on the figure below the black line represents the threshold for hearing the sound at each frequency. We see that the least intensity is necessary for the frequency of about 3000 Hz.

b) Using the same audiogram we see that we would need the sound of the intensity of about 30dB.

c) The least perceptible sound at 1000 Hz must be 0dB while at 100 Hz it is 30dB. These are logarithmic quantities. To transform them to the linear quantities we use the formula

I(\text{in dB})=10\log\frac{I}{I_0(\text{at }1000\text{ Hz})},

where I_0(\text{at }1000\text{ Hz}) is the hearing threshold at 1000 Hz.

Therefore we have the following

0\text{ dB}=10\log\frac{I_1}{I_0(\text{at }1000\text{ Hz})}\quad 30\text{ dB}=10\log\frac{I_2}{I_0(\text{at }1000\text{ Hz})}

I_1 is the threshold at 1000Hz and I_2 is the threshold at 100Hz.

By exponentiating we have

10^0=\frac{I_1}{I_0(\text{at }1000\text{ Hz})},\quad 10^3=\frac{I_2}{I_0\text{at }1000\text{ Hz}}.

Now dividing these two equations we get

\frac{I_2}{I_1}=\frac{10^3}{10^0}=1000.

Therefore, the least perceptible sound at 100Hz is 1000 times more intense than the least perceptible sound at 1000Hz.

Note: I got these values unisng the audiogram that is attached here. The one that you have might be slightly different and might yield different answers.


Similar Questions

The frequency of a sound wave is determined by the

Asked by admin @ in Mathematics viewed by 288 persons

The frequency of the sound wave determines its frequency pitch wavelength speed

The frequency of sound waves can be expressed in

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 344 persons

The frequency of sound waves can be expressed in ?​

How do we perceive the amplitude of a sound wave

Asked by admin @ in Science viewed by 347 persons

How do we perceive the amplitude of a sound wave? ​

How do we measure the frequency of a sound wave

Asked by admin @ in Computers and Technology viewed by 295 persons

What two units are used to measure the frequency and amplitude of a sound wave? A. Hertz is a measure of frequency, and a decibel is a measure of amplitude. …

Sound of frequency below 20 hz is called

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 264 persons

Sound of frequency lower than 20 Hz is called the _______ *

Speed of sound in air is approximately equal to

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 287 persons

Speed of sound in air in m/s is approximately equal to

Relation between velocity frequency and wavelength of sound waves

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 311 persons

1.Write the relation between speed of sound,frequency and wavelength? ans:-Speed of the sound is distance travelled by the sound wave per unit time . Denote buy 'v' distance travelled by …

The human ear can hear sound having frequency in range

Asked by admin @ in Biology viewed by 293 persons

The human ear can hear sounds having frequency in range

Approximately how many jewish people were killed during the holocaust

Asked by admin @ in History viewed by 273 persons

Approximately how many Jews were killed during the Holocaust? A)1 million B)3 million C)6 million D)10 million

Overcoming fixed mindset: a step-by-step guide to cultivating a growth mindset

Asked by wiki @ in Health viewed by 1081 persons

Which of the following would best complete this list?

Asked by wiki @ in Social Studies viewed by 616 persons

What had the king decided to do before he saw the spider

Asked by vanshika149 @ in English viewed by 958 persons

Describe the karez in your own words

Asked by rajesh064 @ in English viewed by 1087 persons

What is 8 + (x + 5)?

Asked by jaylord7 @ in Mathematics viewed by 934 persons

Most viewed questions in Physics


Jeevandeep health and physical education std 10 answers pdf

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 11020 persons


Hc verma physics class 9 solutions of describing motion

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 2640 persons


How to leave nightmare land answer key

Asked by maham237 @ in Physics viewed by 1562 persons



Base area and stability of some objects with different shapes

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1498 persons


Which of the following statements about safe lifting are correct

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1490 persons


Porous water-absorbing mass of fibers

Asked by wiki @ in Physics viewed by 1458 persons



Absorption of water by filter paper is due to

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1407 persons


A composite wire of uniform diameter 3mm

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1372 persons


At a distance l 400m from the traffic light

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1288 persons



A rocket of mass m is launched straight up with thrust f⃗ thrust.

Asked by maham237 @ in Physics viewed by 1288 persons


Mind map for light reflection and refraction class 10

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1122 persons



A thief runs at a speed of 10m s

Asked by admin @ in Physics viewed by 1068 persons


A 5.8 x 10 4 watt elevator motor can lift

Asked by maham237 @ in Physics viewed by 1055 persons