How Well Can You Hear
an experiment on the Hertz scale and hearing depending on your age
By: Caity Mulcahy
Intro: In this project I decided to work on how well different age groups can hear. I thought of this because in class we were working on waves. We learned how microwaves waves work and where they might land. We did some more stuff with sound waves and waves in general. I was interested in depending on the age group at what time could they start to hear and stopped being able to hear on the Hertz scale. The Hertz scale is DEFINITION.
Question: My Question was what age groups can hear the most range on the hertz scale.
Hypothesis: I thought that 13-19 year old would hear the best.
Procedure and Materials: In this experiment I researched a lot about the sound range, hertz scale. In class we also just finished up our unit on waves, so it helped me when I was studying sound waves. I tested some people and just played this track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-iCZElJ8m0) on youtube of the Hertz scale. The subjects weren’t all of the age groupings that I wished for so I researched more on the topic. I found out that Humans can hear sounds at frequencies from about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, though we hear sounds best from 1,000 Hz to 5,000 Hz, where human speech is centered. The average adult is able to hear sounds between 0.02 and 16 kHz. If you play 17400 Hz, which is equivalent to a mosquito, most adults can’t hear it. People in their early 20’s should be able to make out the sound, and the average child and teen should be able to hear it clearly. The older you age your hearing will age too, it's an inevitable fact. This is for a reason though. As you age you go through a process called Presbycusis. This can happen to people as young as 18. Presbycusis is a natural aging of the cells in your ears. It is not a noise-induced hearing loss, this occurs as a result of exposure to very loud noises. For example if you are at a concert, and the music is very loud, the hair cells in your ear can become over-stimulated. Your body responds by sending oxygen to your ear, leading to cell oxidative deaths. Noise-induced hearing loss usually makes it harder to hear lower frequencies, between 3000 Hz and 6000 Hz. Once again Presbycusis gradually erodes your ability of hearing higher frequencies in general. The materials that I used for this project were: youtube soundtrack of Hertz frequency, a group of people varying in ages, and a notebook to record data.
RESULTS: you can take cautionary steps to help your hearing. Ex: put earplugs in during a concert, have your music at a reasonable volume.
Abstract: In this lab I asked the question what frequencies can you hear depending on your age. I wanted to see at what age you start to loose your hearing and what would possible cause this. I researched about hearing, natural aging of your ear cells and noise-induced hearing problems. My motivation was the fact that I really like how sound waves work and the science behind that. I also thought about this because my little brother is having trouble hearing, we think it is just his sinus’ and he is all clogged up, but I was still interested. I remembered our teacher, Brian, showing us the hearing test and seeing what our range was so I found the track that he used to test my subjects.
an experiment on the Hertz scale and hearing depending on your age
By: Caity Mulcahy
Intro: In this project I decided to work on how well different age groups can hear. I thought of this because in class we were working on waves. We learned how microwaves waves work and where they might land. We did some more stuff with sound waves and waves in general. I was interested in depending on the age group at what time could they start to hear and stopped being able to hear on the Hertz scale. The Hertz scale is DEFINITION.
Question: My Question was what age groups can hear the most range on the hertz scale.
Hypothesis: I thought that 13-19 year old would hear the best.
Procedure and Materials: In this experiment I researched a lot about the sound range, hertz scale. In class we also just finished up our unit on waves, so it helped me when I was studying sound waves. I tested some people and just played this track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-iCZElJ8m0) on youtube of the Hertz scale. The subjects weren’t all of the age groupings that I wished for so I researched more on the topic. I found out that Humans can hear sounds at frequencies from about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, though we hear sounds best from 1,000 Hz to 5,000 Hz, where human speech is centered. The average adult is able to hear sounds between 0.02 and 16 kHz. If you play 17400 Hz, which is equivalent to a mosquito, most adults can’t hear it. People in their early 20’s should be able to make out the sound, and the average child and teen should be able to hear it clearly. The older you age your hearing will age too, it's an inevitable fact. This is for a reason though. As you age you go through a process called Presbycusis. This can happen to people as young as 18. Presbycusis is a natural aging of the cells in your ears. It is not a noise-induced hearing loss, this occurs as a result of exposure to very loud noises. For example if you are at a concert, and the music is very loud, the hair cells in your ear can become over-stimulated. Your body responds by sending oxygen to your ear, leading to cell oxidative deaths. Noise-induced hearing loss usually makes it harder to hear lower frequencies, between 3000 Hz and 6000 Hz. Once again Presbycusis gradually erodes your ability of hearing higher frequencies in general. The materials that I used for this project were: youtube soundtrack of Hertz frequency, a group of people varying in ages, and a notebook to record data.
RESULTS: you can take cautionary steps to help your hearing. Ex: put earplugs in during a concert, have your music at a reasonable volume.
Abstract: In this lab I asked the question what frequencies can you hear depending on your age. I wanted to see at what age you start to loose your hearing and what would possible cause this. I researched about hearing, natural aging of your ear cells and noise-induced hearing problems. My motivation was the fact that I really like how sound waves work and the science behind that. I also thought about this because my little brother is having trouble hearing, we think it is just his sinus’ and he is all clogged up, but I was still interested. I remembered our teacher, Brian, showing us the hearing test and seeing what our range was so I found the track that he used to test my subjects.