Runner Head: HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY

Compare And Contrast How Frequency Is Processed In The Human Ear And Wavelength Is Processed In The Human Eye



[Name of the Institute]

Human Physiology Assignment

Sound and light both exhibit oscillatory waveform characteristics at different frequencies, wavelengths and amplitudes. Both can be detected by ordinary human senses (hearing and vision) within the acceptable range of frequencies by the senses (eyes and ears), especially designed for these purposes, as applied to a finite speed, as an exhibit a Doppler shift towards higher frequencies when source wave approaching us, and for both types of waves probing the intensity depends on the amplitude of the wave. Despite these similarities, there are some very significant physical differences between light and sound. In particular, accoustical waves propagate only in a material medium, while the electromagnetic waves propagate in a vacuum. In addition, sound waves consist of pressure variations along the propagation direction (as they are called longitudinal waves), while light waves consist of electric and magnetic fluctuations perpendicular to the propagation direction (as they are called transverse waves). Transverse nature of electromagnetic waves for the accounts of the polarization phenomenon, which has no analogue in the purely longitudinal waves.

In addition, the frequencies of visible light and audible sound different from each other by more than ten orders of magnitude. Frequency range of acoustic sound sensations through our ears, from about 20 Hz to 20000 Hz, while the frequency range of the visible optical sense through our eyes of about 380 trillion Hz to 760 trillion Hz. Perhaps our physical and muscular imagination can conceive something Cycling 200 times per second, but the frequency of light far beyond any macroscopic physiological processes, we can intuitively imagine. This, SA also noted that while the frequency range of audible sound covers 1000 (about 10 octaves), the range of visible light is distributed only by a factor of 2 (only one octave) (Mary, 2003, p. 278).

Differences between our mechanisms of perception of image and sound are also quite striking. For example, although there is a rough analogy between the step of a sound wave, and color of the light wave (as associated with the wave frequency), our perceptual mechanisms for discerning the height and color vary greatly. Most people are able to distinguish between two different accoustical tone, and decide which of them has the higher frequency, but almost no one can hear the tone of the isolated and to determine its absolute frequency in terms of the corresponding musical note. (This capability is called perfect, perfect pitch, and extremely rare, even among trained musicians). ( Add Appendix here)

Of course, this AO is not entirely accurate to say that the colors correspond to the frequencies, as the majority perceives colors actually represent a continuous spectral density with non-zero energy over the entire range of visible frequencies, as shown below, the typical profiles of deer light is perceived as the color blue, green and red.

These three colors are a good basis for many other colors of visible ...