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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
08:53
The Measurement of Unsteady Surface Pressure Using a Remote Microphone Probe
Published on: December 3, 2016
Measurement of sound
L J Hood1, C I Berlin, C W Parkins
1Kresge Hearing Research Laboratory of the South, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans.
Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America
|April 1, 1991
Summary
Understanding sound measurement principles like frequency and intensity is key for clinical audiology. This knowledge aids in diagnosing hearing loss and improving speech perception in various conditions.
Area of Science:
- Audiology and acoustic science.
- Focus on the physical properties of sound and their clinical relevance.
Background:
- Sound measurement involves analyzing frequency, intensity, and temporal aspects of acoustic signals.
- These dimensions correlate with observable clinical phenomena in hearing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review fundamental principles of sound measurement.
- To present practical clinical applications of these principles in audiology.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of acoustic signal dimensions: frequency (Hz), intensity (decibel scale), and temporal characteristics (duration, phase, repetition rate).
- Consideration of middle ear impedance for human hearing sensitivity analysis.
Main Results:
- Established relationships between sound properties and clinical observations.
- Demonstrated applications in predicting laryngeal tone frequency, middle ear mechanics, and ear canal resonance.
Conclusions:
- Sound measurement principles are crucial for understanding and diagnosing hearing-related conditions.
- Applications extend to hearing aid fitting, speech intelligibility assessment, and understanding hearing loss.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Perception of Sound Waves
The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
00:58Sound Intensity
The loudness of a sound source is related to how energetically the source is vibrating, consequently making the molecules of the propagation medium vibrate. To measure the loudness of a source, the physical quantity of interest is the intensity. This is defined as the energy emitted per unit of time per unit of area perpendicular to the sound wave's propagation direction. Since the total energy is greater if the source vibrates for a longer duration and over a larger area, dividing the emitted...
00:53Sound Intensity Level
Humans perceive sound by hearing. The human ear helps sound waves reach the brain, which then interprets the waves and creates the perception of hearing. The loudness of the environment in which a person is located determines whether they can distinguish between different sound sources.
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and hence a...
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and hence a...
01:17Sound as Pressure Waves
Sound waves, which are longitudinal waves, can be modeled as the displacement amplitude varying as a function of the spatial and temporal coordinates. As a column of the medium is displaced, its successive columns are also displaced. As the successive displacements differ relatively, a pressure difference with the surrounding pressure is created. The gauge pressure varies across the medium.
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
01:06Echo
The human ear cannot distinguish between two sources of sound if they happen to reach within a specific time interval, typically 0.1 seconds apart. More than this, and they are perceived as separate sources.
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
01:28Applications of Logarithms
Logarithmic functions are powerful tools for simplifying the mathematical representation of phenomena involving exponential changes. Their ability to convert multiplicative relationships into additive ones is especially valuable in various scientific and engineering contexts. One notable application of logarithms is measuring sound intensity, specifically through the decibel (dB) scale used in acoustics.Sound intensity levels vary over an extensive range, from the faintest audible whisper to...