Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Perception of Sound Waves01:01

Perception of Sound Waves

4.5K
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...
4.5K
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

314
The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
314
Auditory Perception01:17

Auditory Perception

409
The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the...
409
Problem-Solving: Tuning of a Guitar String01:04

Problem-Solving: Tuning of a Guitar String

491
In the case of stringed instruments like the guitar, the elastic property that determines the speed of the sound produced is its linear mass density or the mass per unit length. This is simply called the linear density. If the string's linear density is constant along the string, then the linear density is simply the total mass divided by the total length.
The string's wave speed can be regulated by varying the linear density. Tension is the other property that determines the speed of...
491
Sound Intensity Level00:53

Sound Intensity Level

4.2K
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...
4.2K
The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

45.5K
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
45.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Paradoxical coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism, and explaining unexpected preferred domain orientations.

PNAS nexus·2026
Same author

Structure of the short-form ATP-phosphoribosyltransferase from Acinetobacter baumannii reveals the presence of a novel Mg<sup>2+</sup> sequestering and storage site.

Biochimica et biophysica acta. Proteins and proteomics·2026
Same author

Structural Basis for Single-Site Cleavage of Lactoferrin by Diverse Proteases for Prolonged Antibacterial Action: Structure of the Chymotrypsin-Cleaved Lactoferrin C-Lobe.

Proteins·2026
Same author

Electrosprayed PLGA Nanoparticles for Dual Drug Delivery: Design, Optimization and Applications.

Polymers·2026
Same author

Understanding Gender Gaps in Tobacco Consumption among Middle-Aged and Elderly Indians: Decomposition Analysis of LASI 2017-18.

Journal of epidemiology and global health·2026
Same author

Rural-Urban Inequalities in Lifetime Tobacco Consumption Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in India: A Decomposition Analysis Using Survey-Weighted National Data.

Substance use & addiction journal·2026
Same journal

Tau protein as a regulator of mitochondrial function and dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

A scalable, dividing cell model for the robust propagation and quantification of human sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Epigenetic regulation of mesenchymal BMP signaling directs postnatal organ innervation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Single-shot wide-field biochemical imaging at 1 kHz frame rate.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Morphogenesis and topological evolution of a frustrated nematic liquid crystal under confinement.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

B cell-intrinsic CXCR3 drives efficient generation of ectopic pulmonary germinal center responses to influenza A virus infection.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 13, 2025

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
11:15

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Published on: May 23, 2017

7.3K

A minimal physics-based model for musical perception.

Kosar Mozaffari1, Fatemeh Ahmadpoor2, Qian Deng3

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|January 24, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Investigating the physics of inner ear hair cells reveals physiological traits influencing musical perception. Changes in membrane properties, like bending modulus, can affect how individuals distinguish complex sounds.

Keywords:
flexoelectricitymechanicsmusicsoft matter

More Related Videos

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions
09:46

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions

Published on: May 10, 2012

12.7K
Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform
06:31

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform

Published on: August 4, 2022

3.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 13, 2025

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
11:15

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Published on: May 23, 2017

7.3K
MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions
09:46

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions

Published on: May 10, 2012

12.7K
Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform
06:31

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform

Published on: August 4, 2022

3.1K

Area of Science:

  • Bioacoustics
  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Individual differences in musical perception are well-documented.
  • Neurological factors and training explain some variations in auditory abilities.
  • The role of physical attributes of the inner ear's hair cells in innate musical aptitude remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the physical and engineering basis of enhanced musical sound perception.
  • To investigate the electromechanical properties of inner ear hair cells.
  • To model how physiological variations in hair cells influence auditory discrimination.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a physics-based model of inner ear hair cell electromechanics.
  • Defined model parameters using physical quantities (membrane thickness, bending modulus, etc.).
  • Utilized the two-tone interference problem as a measure of musical perception.

Main Results:

  • The model provides a non-black-box approach to auditory perception.
  • Identified specific physical parameters of hair cells that correlate with sound discrimination.
  • Demonstrated how reduced bending modulus or increased flexoelectricity impacts perception.

Conclusions:

  • Physiological attributes of hair cells contribute to innate differences in musical listening.
  • The model can predict the effects of external factors like drugs on auditory perception.
  • Analgesic drugs or altered membrane properties can impair the perception of complex auditory stimuli.