![]() ![]() Sound intensity varies by a factor of 10 12 10 12 from threshold to a sound that causes damage in seconds. The ear is sensitive to as little as a trillionth of a watt per meter squared-even more impressive when you realize that the area of the eardrum is only about 1 cm 2 1 cm 2, so that only 10 – 16 10 – 16 W falls on it at the threshold of hearing! Air molecules in a sound wave of this intensity vibrate over a distance of less than one molecular diameter, and the gauge pressures involved are less than 10 – 9 10 – 9 atm.Īnother impressive feature of the sounds in Table 17.2 is their numerical range. One of the more striking things about the intensities in Table 17.2 is that the intensity in watts per meter squared is quite small for most sounds. Table 17.2 gives levels in decibels and intensities in watts per meter squared for some familiar sounds. That is, the threshold of hearing is 0 decibels. The decibel level of a sound having the threshold intensity of 10 – 12 W/m 2 10 – 12 W/m 2 is β = 0 dB β = 0 dB, because log 10 1 = 0 log 10 1 = 0. Table 17.2 Sound Intensity Levels and Intensities ![]() Power is the rate at which energy is transferred by the wave. Intensity is defined to be the power per unit area carried by a wave. The relevant physical quantity is sound intensity, a concept that is valid for all sounds whether or not they are in the audible range. High noise exposure is hazardous to hearing, and it is common for musicians to have hearing losses that are sufficiently severe that they interfere with the musicians’ abilities to perform. In cartoons depicting a screaming person (or an animal making a loud noise), the cartoonist often shows an open mouth with a vibrating uvula, the hanging tissue at the back of the mouth, to suggest a loud sound coming from the throat Figure 17.12. ![]() We are all very familiar with the loudness of sounds and aware that they are related to how energetically the source is vibrating. But when a passing motorist has his stereo turned up, you cannot even hear what the person next to you in your car is saying. After settling into bed, you may hear your blood pulsing through your ears. In a quiet forest, you can sometimes hear a single leaf fall to the ground. Figure 17.11 Noise on crowded roadways like this one in Delhi makes it hard to hear others unless they shout. ![]()
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