Sensory Neuroscience: Hearing and speech/Sound/key terms
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Wave_period.gif)
Parameters for describing sound
[edit | edit source]- Wavelength
- the distance between the endpoints of a cycle (two peaks, for example)
- usually measured in cm
- Frequency
- number of oscillations in one second
- frequency is a physical property in the world, but pitch is the mental experience of that property (the "highness" of a sound)
- usually measured in Hz
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Wave_period.gif)
- Period
- time required for one oscillation
- usually measured in ms
- Amplitude
- the magnitude of change in the pressure over one oscillation
- Impedence
- the reluctance with which the medium can be forced into oscillation