Can the human ear hear a single wave pulse?

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    Human Pulse Wave
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the auditory perception of a single wave pulse, specifically focusing on how a pulse consisting of a single 2π radian wave at two frequencies might be perceived differently compared to continuous tones. Participants explore the implications of frequency and duration on sound perception, particularly within the context of human hearing sensitivity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that a single wave pulse will sound more like a click, with variations in perception based on frequency and duration.
  • Others discuss the relationship between frequency and perceived sound, suggesting that lower frequencies might be perceived as "ticks" and higher frequencies as "tinks," with duration affecting this perception.
  • A participant notes that the spectrum of an impulse is broad, indicating that a focused frequency would not be perceived as an impulse but rather as a tone.
  • One participant shares an example using an audio frequency generator to illustrate how varying the duration of a sound affects its tonal quality, suggesting that shorter durations lead to perceptions of noise rather than tone.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about their ability to produce a single isolated wave and mentions the need for experimentation to better understand their auditory perceptions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on how a single wave pulse is perceived, with no consensus on the exact nature of this perception or the implications of frequency and duration. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specifics of how these factors influence auditory experience.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge limitations in their ability to produce and perceive isolated wave pulses, as well as the dependence on audio equipment quality and environmental factors during experimentation.

jerromyjon
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Hi, I am referring to a pulse as one single 2π radian wave of preferably two frequencies at either end of the range. By two frequencies I mean that I would like to know if the detection of an audible continuous tone differs from their single oscillation frequency and/or intensity.
 
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A single wave pulse will sound more like a click. Essentially, if you look at the Fourier transform, the many different frequencies of infinite duration are added together to cancel out in just the right way to leave a pulse.
 
atyy said:
A single wave pulse will sound more like a click
So a low pitch (below 1kHz?) would be a "tick" I'm thinking, and as the frequency increases it would increase towards a "tink", since the "pitch" is higher and the duration is shorter? My eyes glazed over when I tried to comprehend the Fourier transform... I guess 1-4kHz is the emphasis of my interest being the range of heightened sensitivity.
 
jerromyjon said:
So a low pitch (below 1kHz?) would be a "tick" I'm thinking, and as the frequency increases it would increase towards a "tink", since the "pitch" is higher and the duration is shorter? My eyes glazed over when I tried to comprehend the Fourier transform... I guess 1-4kHz is the emphasis of my interest being the range of heightened sensitivity.

The spectrum of an impulse is broad, not focused at just one frequency. If it were focused at one frequency it would be more of a tone than a tick and it wouldn't be an impulse in the time-domain (it would have more curves, as it were).
 
jerromyjon said:
So a low pitch (below 1kHz?) would be a "tick" I'm thinking, and as the frequency increases it would increase towards a "tink", since the "pitch" is higher and the duration is shorter? My eyes glazed over when I tried to comprehend the Fourier transform... I guess 1-4kHz is the emphasis of my interest being the range of heightened sensitivity.

You can get a feeling for it at http://www.audiocheck.net/audiofrequencysignalgenerator_sinetone.php. Let's say we use a frequency of 500 Hz. Making the duration 0.2 s will give something that sounds like a tone, but making it 0.02 s will give something that sounds like burst of noise. So if you made it even shorted, to 0.002, which I think is what you asked, it will also not sound tone-like.
 
Hi and thanks for the link! The 100Hz at 0.01s was the shortest duration I could get, and at 500Hz it sounds a bit lower pitch to me but that is 5 waves so you get more of a perception of the real continuous pitch. Just as a baseline of what should be nothing a .1s pulse of 10Hz is audible so that negates the point of my query, as I can't trust my high quality ear buds to produce a single isolated wave. I need to get some "quiet time" to experiment and see what I can deduce from what I can produce.
 

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