The senses detect vibrational energy?

[SebWallace]

I remember reading/hearing a few times now that everything is vibrational energy and our senses detect and convert different modalities of energy (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory/gustatory).

I remember hearing about a demonstration with a rod to explain this. They passed vibration through the pole and increased the frequency every second. Soon enough the pole started vibrating sound. Faster it vibrated heat and then light, then all the rest that comes after that (that we do not sense).

I have been searching for hours on this subject trying to find a book or something that explains it fully. It maybe fundamental and basic but I just can't find anything.

Could anybody help me out and give me a reference or any theory names that relate to this?

Thanks all!

Sebastian

 

[Danger]

Welcome to PF, Sebastian.
I would argue against the inclusion of some of those senses in regard to vibrations. Kinesthesia, for instance, is a result of stress monitors attached to skeletal muscles. Similarly, olfactory and gustatory (very closely tied together) senses are reliant upon internal chemical sensors.

edit: You might have a better response to this if it is moved to the Biology sub-forum.

 

[ScottSalley]

Not everything we can sense are vibrations but it is interesting how different frequencies of vibrations in the same media can be sensed differently -- very high frequency vibrations (random movement of atoms/molecules) are sensed as 'heat', less high frequency vibrations can be sensed as 'sound', and very low frequency vibrations are sensed as 'pressure'.

 

[Danger]

Good observation, Scott.

 

[cjameshuff]

I remember reading/hearing a few times now that everything is vibrational energy and our senses detect and convert different modalities of energy (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory/gustatory).

I remember hearing about a demonstration with a rod to explain this. They passed vibration through the pole and increased the frequency every second. Soon enough the pole started vibrating sound. Faster it vibrated heat and then light, then all the rest that comes after that (that we do not sense).

I have been searching for hours on this subject trying to find a book or something that explains it fully. It maybe fundamental and basic but I just can't find anything.

Could anybody help me out and give me a reference or any theory names that relate to this?

Well...it's entirely wrong, so any such reference is going to be some pseudoscientific nonsense that has no bearing on reality. For starters, there's no such thing as "vibrational energy".

Your rod example...mechanical vibrations are sound. Period. The rod won't start emitting light when turn the frequency up: light is electromagnetic radiation, not mechanical vibrations. Some radio devices even operate at "acoustic" frequencies...you can't hear those radio waves even when they're in the same frequency range as audible sounds. There are also various ultrasonic devices that use frequencies that extend well into the RF range, but they still use sound, not radio waves.

Taste, scent, the kinesthetic sense...it's a major stretch to consider these to be based on sensing "vibration". It's technically the case that we sense and perceive everything using neurons that fire at varying rates with fairly constant amplitudes, but I don't see how that's going to lead to any deeper understanding.

Not everything we can sense are vibrations but it is interesting how different frequencies of vibrations in the same media can be sensed differently -- very high frequency vibrations (random movement of atoms/molecules) are sensed as 'heat', less high frequency vibrations can be sensed as 'sound', and very low frequency vibrations are sensed as 'pressure'.

Heat is not high frequency vibration, and pressure is not low frequency vibration. Heat is related to the mean kinetic energy of the atoms of an object, not to the frequencies of their vibrations. Pressure, to the average force exerted by interactions with those atoms.

 

[Danger]

Heat is not high frequency vibration, and pressure is not low frequency vibration. Heat is related to the mean kinetic energy of the atoms of an object, not to the frequencies of their vibrations. Pressure, to the average force exerted by interactions with those atoms.

With all due respect, I agree with Scott... but we might not be thinking along the same lines that you are. Infrasound and other low-frequency vibrations are definitely felt as pressure. Thunder certainly shivers the timbers in my house, and even an earthquake is expressed as low frequency pressure waves. Both are also heard as audible sound, but that is because of the higher frequency components. (Nothing will deal with an annoying neighbour better than facing a large speaker against his wall and running a 3Hz tone through it at maximum volume.) Whales and elephants communicate using infrasonic frequencies because they travel farther for a given energy expenditure. Regular sound, such as we all hear every day, consists of pressure waves (hence vibrations) in the air. As for heat, that can be approached from a couple of different directions. Infrared transfer certainly consists of low-frequency EM vibrations. Ultrasonic waves are used for welding, particularly of plastics, so they obviously create heat in some substances.

 

[SebWallace]

First of all, thank a lot guys. Your answers have clear things up for me somewhat. I would just like to clarify some ambiguity from my part.

Welcome to PF, Sebastian.
I would argue against the inclusion of some of those senses in regard to vibrations. Kinesthesia, for instance, is a result of stress monitors attached to skeletal muscles. Similarly, olfactory and gustatory (very closely tied together) senses are reliant upon internal chemical sensors.

When I talk about kineasthetics, I am talking about it from an NLP perspective. Obviously sound energy= auditory sensation, light energy = visual sensation, chemical energy = olfactory & gustatory sensation and anything that relates to body sensation is called kineasthetic and this does include emotion. I just wanted to clear that up because I see that we use words slightly differently in different fields.

As for the answers themselves, again thanks for clearing it up. I am extending my question though and hoping you guys can fill me in.

In a book I am reading it explains:
"John: If you look at the electromagnetic spectrum, lay it out there
right in front of you (gesturing with arm)...
John; . . . your eyes are tuned to one portion of the spectrum, your
ears to another portion of it, your skin to another portion—who
knows what other parts of your anatomy are responding to ...
But at least those three. And if you look at it you will see huge
gaps where there are no sensory apparatus which can report the
events that occur there."

We all know that our eyes are tuned to light energy on the EMS but I cannot find any references to explain how our ears and skin are. I cannot see sound or heat on any EMS diagrams.

Sebastian

 

[cjameshuff]

With all due respect, I agree with Scott... but we might not be thinking along the same lines that you are. Infrasound and other low-frequency vibrations are definitely felt as pressure. Thunder certainly shivers the timbers in my house, and even an earthquake is expressed as low frequency pressure waves. Both are also heard as audible sound, but that is because of the higher frequency components. (Nothing will deal with an annoying neighbour better than facing a large speaker against his wall and running a 3Hz tone through it at maximum volume.) Whales and elephants communicate using infrasonic frequencies because they travel farther for a given energy expenditure. Regular sound, such as we all hear every day, consists of pressure waves (hence vibrations) in the air. As for heat, that can be approached from a couple of different directions. Infrared transfer certainly consists of low-frequency EM vibrations. Ultrasonic waves are used for welding, particularly of plastics, so they obviously create heat in some substances.

If pressure produced the same sensation as low frequency vibration, I'd consider that a sign of some sort of medical issue. Yes, sound waves are pressure waves, and at low enough frequencies are sensed with the same sensory receptors, but are perceived as variations in pressure over time, not as pressure.

Infrared involves frequencies lower than visible light, but is not detected directly...it heats the flesh and skin and the temperature change is sensed. When you touch an object, direct conduction dominates over radiative transfer, and infrared is not involved. Equating infrared with heat is extremely misleading, and tying it to the wavelength/frequency is even more so...infrared is simply emitted by warm objects, and causes heating without being directly visible. Visible light will also cause heating, as will microwaves and ultraviolet...any EM radiation that's absorbed will cause heating.

 

[cjl]

First of all, thank a lot guys. Your answers have clear things up for me somewhat. I would just like to clarify some ambiguity from my part.



When I talk about kineasthetics, I am talking about it from an NLP perspective. Obviously sound energy= auditory sensation, light energy = visual sensation, chemical energy = olfactory & gustatory sensation and anything that relates to body sensation is called kineasthetic and this does include emotion. I just wanted to clear that up because I see that we use words slightly differently in different fields.

As for the answers themselves, again thanks for clearing it up. I am extending my question though and hoping you guys can fill me in.

In a book I am reading it explains:
"John: If you look at the electromagnetic spectrum, lay it out there
right in front of you (gesturing with arm)...
John; . . . your eyes are tuned to one portion of the spectrum, your
ears to another portion of it, your skin to another portion—who
knows what other parts of your anatomy are responding to ...
But at least those three. And if you look at it you will see huge
gaps where there are no sensory apparatus which can report the
events that occur there."

We all know that our eyes are tuned to light energy on the EMS but I cannot find any references to explain how our ears and skin are. I cannot see sound or heat on any EMS diagrams.

Sebastian

You could possibly (and somewhat inaccurately) say the skin is attuned to the IR part of the spectrum, since it will cause a heating sensation. The part about the ears is just wrong though. Sound isn't just a different frequency of vibration than visible light. It's a completely different kind of wave.

 

[SebWallace]

You could possibly (and somewhat inaccurately) say the skin is attuned to the IR part of the spectrum, since it will cause a heating sensation. The part about the ears is just wrong though. Sound isn't just a different frequency of vibration than visible light. It's a completely different kind of wave.

So there isn't anyway that sound energy is related to the EMS? If not the EMS then is there a spectrum like what John (from the book) is talking about?

I am trying to find a model that describes energy is a holistic manner rather than a particular manner. From my novice perspective in physics, I see the discussion about energy rather divergent and for clarity I am searching for a unified description of different types of energy (like a spectrum).

Again, if anyone can help me out that'll be great!

Sebastian

 

[cjameshuff]

So there isn't anyway that sound energy is related to the EMS?

None. The two are completely different phenomena. You can't conclude that they are related simply because they are both periodic.

If not the EMS then is there a spectrum like what John (from the book) is talking about?

No. The quoted statement is simple nonsense. The ears do not respond to any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the skin is not tuned to any specific portion. The eyes are the only sensory organ we possesses that's directly sensitive to EM radiation, and they aren't particularly good at sensing sound of any frequency. There isn't some other spectrum that skin heating, sound vibrations, and electromagnetic radiation can all be placed together on.

I am trying to find a model that describes energy is a holistic manner rather than a particular manner. From my novice perspective in physics, I see the discussion about energy rather divergent and for clarity I am searching for a unified description of different types of energy (like a spectrum).

It's not clear to me why you think a spectrum is a useful description for energy. A spectrum is essentially just a 1D ordering by some continuously variable property...why should you be able to distribute different forms of energy across such a scale, and what do you hope to gain by doing so?

 

[SebWallace]

It's not clear to me why you think a spectrum is a useful description for energy. A spectrum is essentially just a 1D ordering by some continuously variable property...why should you be able to distribute different forms of energy across such a scale, and what do you hope to gain by doing so?

Perhaps not like a spectrum, that was just an example relative to what asking. I have read somewhere (perhaps in quantum physics) about the fundamental and unifying structure (or description) of energy. Rather than saying light energy is completely different from sound and heat, that there was a universal structure between them all. I thought initially it was all vibration, but from what has been discussed here that is not the case.

The purpose for these questions is for an essay I am writing about perceptual and cognitive studies. I want to introduce energy from a unified, holistic paradigm before energy becomes reduced down to the sense organs then cognized in the brain. It's not necessary but I like expanding my horizons.

In essence, is there a common model of energy? Just like all matter is composed of atoms, what is all energy common of?

Thanks for your time guys.

Sebastian

 

[cjameshuff]

Perhaps not like a spectrum, that was just an example relative to what asking. I haveIn essence, is there a common model of energy? Just like all matter is composed of atoms, what is all energy common of?

It's just energy. Energy is the unifying concept. It's not a substance, it's not made of anything else, it's a conserved quantity, a property of systems.

 

[SebWallace]

It's just energy. Energy is the unifying concept. It's not a substance, it's not made of anything else, it's a conserved quantity, a property of systems.

Is there a structure to energy at all? Before now I thought it was vibration.

 

[Rtep]

Heres your answers in a nut shell. Energy, Vibration, and frequency's are all the same. If you want to learn more indepth knowledge about this as well as things you could only barely fathom. See Globalinformationnetwork.com. Also see Ktraidonetwork.com. If your interested and want to learn more, feel free to email me at Randy_tep@live.ca.

 

[Zula110100100]

This is entering the realm of pseudo-scientific, but when I think about heat in a solid, I picture the kinetic energy being harmonic motion in the bonds between two atoms. So in that way it would be a high-speed vibration, and and higher-speed would be more energy, so more heat.