Do smells have “frequencies” in the same way that lights and sounds have?
In: Biology
No. Light and sounds are both rapid changes in something, which is why they are considered waves. In the case of light, an electromagnetic field is oscillating very rapidly. In the case of sound, the density of air is oscillating rapidly (although nowhere near as fast as visible light).
Smells are caused by molecules binding to olfactory receptors in your nose. They don’t need to change rapidly to be detected, although obviously they have to go from “undetectable” to “detectable”. But they don’t need to go from low to high to low to high for you to perceive them.
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