Why do lower frequencies travel farther than higher frequencies?

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Lower frequencies travel farther than higher frequencies due to their longer wavelengths, which are less easily absorbed by the environment. When headphones are worn, lower frequencies are transmitted directly to the ear, while higher frequencies become less audible when the headphones are removed and placed further away. At a distance, such as 1500 feet from a concert, only the lower frequencies are perceptible due to their ability to maintain energy over distance. The amplitude of sound decreases with distance, following the inverse square law, but the frequency itself remains constant regardless of distance. Understanding these principles clarifies why sound perception changes based on proximity to the source.
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When you try to listen to music through headphones you can reasonably hear the low end (lower frequencies). When you take the headphones off of your head and place them far enough away you only hear a tinny sound.

When you are outside of a loud rock concert, maybe 1500ft from the source, you tend to only hear the lower end sound.

---- Why is this so.


Here is my understanding, please fill in if I'm wrong.

The lower end (longer wavelength) is less easily absorbed in mediums?

The lower end from the headphones only really occurs because your headphones are in contact with your ear allowing the vibrations to transmit better?

The higher frequencies tend to scatter more of small objects over longer distances?

Power is a function of frequency, the higher frequencies deliver more power?


Thank you!
 
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azaharak said:
When you try to listen to music through headphones you can reasonably hear the low end (lower frequencies). When you take the headphones off of your head and place them far enough away you only hear a tinny sound.

When you are outside of a loud rock concert, maybe 1500ft from the source, you tend to only hear the lower end sound.

---- Why is this so.

FREQUENCY of SOUND WAVES
The farther you are from the source the lesser the frequency of sound waves your ears absorb,so the lower/softer the sound as perceived by the ears. On the other hand, the nearer you are from the source, the greater the frequency, the more sound waves our ears absorb; that also means the louder it is as perceived by our ears..

Read something also about Doppler effect. That could somehow help. :))
 
OMG you are completely wrong...


Please do not comment if you have no clue what your talking about.

The doppler effect only affects the frequency perceived for a moving source or a moving listener. It has nothing to do with a static pair of headphones.


Your claims are completely wrong. The frequency of the source is not a function of distance!.

The amplitude will change, since the power falls off along the lines of inverse square law. The frequency remains constant.

Thats like saying the light bulb color changes the farther you move away from it!

It will change if your in motion (very slightly due to the doppler effect in light)
 
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