Why specifically do we lose HIGH frequency hearing as we age, and not low frequency?
In: Biology
Most of these aren’t quite the full idea…
The ear is structured in such a way for the inner ear (behind the eardrum) to pick up sounds in order of *decreasing* frequency. Basically, the high-frequency sounds get detected first. Because high-frequency sounds have shorter wavelengths (and low-frequency waves have longer wavelengths) the high-frequency sound waves basically get stopped as soon as they are detected. Lower frequency sounds, however, can pass through more of the inner ear without getting interference, so they can be detected deeper in the ear.
So high-frequency sounds don’t “hit” the parts of the ear that low-frequency sounds reach, but *all* sound passes through the parts where high-frequencies hit. This means that sounds that we perceive as low frequency still cause the normal “wear and tear” on the whole ear, while high frequency noise doesn’t (typically, and assuming relatively the same loudness).
If it helps to think about why high-frequency waves are more susceptible to interference than low-frequency waves, watch a post going into the water, like on a dock. Long waves (low frequency) seem to pass right through the poles of the dock, but shorter ripples get stopped by the poles. You can test that in a bathtub or a large bowl of water too, if you like.
Latest Answers