2. FUNDAMENTALS OF HEARING（2。）.pdfVIP

NOISE CONTROL Fundamentals of Hearing 4/30/01 2.1 2. FUNDAMENTALS OF HEARING 2.1 INTRODUCTION: The ear is a marvel of either creation, or evolution, depending on your point of view. What is not disputed however, is that it is an amazing device, whose performance has yet to be duplicated by man-made contrivances. The ear is an extremely sophisticated 13 amplifier and frequency analyzer which transduces sound intensity over a 10 range of amplitudes (from barely perceptible to the threshold of pain). It can reject the sounds of a loud cocktail party and single out a single voice. It can adapt to loud noises and protect itself from damage. It can hear the subtle tone differences between a 300 year old Stradivari violin and a modern copy. Even more amazing is that it does all this in a volume of approximately one cubic inch. Objectives of this Lesson: Upon completion of this lesson, you should have a basic understanding of the physical and physiological processes involved in hearing. The basic operation of the ear is described, as well as common disorders which result in hearing loss, including those resulting from noise exposure. References: The ear is the subject of on-going research and there are still many things we do not know about its functions (or at least that’s what the scientists keep telling the NIH to justify continuing research grants). If you want to know more than what is covered in this brief section, the following references are recommended: An Introduction to the Physiology of Hearing, James O. Pickles, Academic Press, 1982 Fundamentals of Hearing, An Introduction, William Yost, Academic Press, 1993 The Handbook of Hearing and the Effects of Noise, Karl Kryter, Academic Press, 1994 Physiology of the Ear, A.F. Jahn and J. Santos-Sacchi Editors, Raven Press, 1988.