Why Can't We Hear: Sound Traveling in Solids

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SUMMARY

Sound travels faster in solids than in air; however, this does not enhance our ability to hear when we block our ears. The absorption and reflection of sound waves by the medium, such as human hands, significantly reduce the sound energy that reaches the ear. The ear drum, a lightweight structure connected to the cochlea via ossicles, is specifically adapted to detect sound vibrations in air. When obstructed by a dense object like a finger, the transmission of sound energy is severely limited, regardless of the speed of sound in solids.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of sound wave propagation
  • Basic knowledge of human auditory anatomy
  • Familiarity with the concepts of sound absorption and reflection
  • Awareness of the differences between sound transmission in various media
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the physics of sound wave propagation in different materials
  • Study the anatomy and function of the human ear, focusing on the role of the ossicles
  • Explore the principles of sound absorption and reflection in various environments
  • Investigate the evolutionary adaptations of land animals' hearing mechanisms
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Acoustics researchers, sound engineers, biology students, and anyone interested in the mechanics of sound transmission and human hearing.

johncena
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If sound travels faster in solids than in air then why on closing our ears we cannot hear the sound properly?
 
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It may be faster in a solid but be absorbed more. Also, every change in medium tends to absorb/reflect some sound.
 
I'm no sound engineer, but I also doubt that hands make a good sound conductor. They are soft and flexible, and that just doesn't sound good when talking about sound transmission.

As haruspex said, they'll block/ reflect/ absorb most of the sound trying to get through them. But, whatever small fraction of sound that is left over will go through them faster.
 
Land animals spent hundreds of millions of years developing ears that are sensitive to sound vibrations in air. The ear drum is a very light structure which is joined to the inner ear by those little bones (ossicles) and 'matches the vibrations to the actual sensor (cochlea). If you put your massive and absorbant finger in the way, it can't move as freely as the ear drum and only passes a small proportion of the sound energy that hits it. The speed isn't what counts - its the fact that the sound just doesn't get through.
 

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