Question

In: Physics

The sound you produce when speaking is produced by both your vocal cords and the column...

The sound you produce when speaking is produced by both your vocal cords and the column of air between your mouth and the bottom of your lungs. Breathing in a different gas has no effect on your vocal cords, but does change the sound due to the standing wave resonance of your lungs supposing that the distance from your mouth to the bottom of your lung is about 50cm. What tone is produced under normal conditions? What if you breathe in helium ( 4g/mole)? Xenon (131 g/mole)? Assume temp is 20 degrees celsius

Solutions

Expert Solution

When you speak, the sound is produced by the vibrations of the cords which excite the air molecules in the vocal tract and sets up resonant frequencies. This vibration in vocal cord influences the pitch (frequency of the sound) of the voice, the vibration of air in vocal tract influences the voice's timbre. Now, these different resonant frequencies allow us to make different sounds of speech. The voice finally leaves the mouth in the form of waves, oscillations of pressure transmitted through a medium.

Now, when you inhale Helium, which is lighter than air. Air is mostly comprised of Nitrogen. At, 20 degrees Celcius. The speed of sound in air is ~344 m/s but in Helium it is ~927 m/s. So, the sound is faster in Helium. Which changes the timbre of the voice. It changes the resonance of the vocal tract by making them more responsive to high-frequency sounds and less responsive to lower ones.

In case of Xenon, it is opposite. The sound is slower in xenon. It makes the resonant frequencies lower for the vocal tract.


Related Solutions

A stone is dropped inside a well. The sound produced when the stone hits the bottom...
A stone is dropped inside a well. The sound produced when the stone hits the bottom of the well is heard 4.3 s later. How deep is the well, in meters? The speed of sound is 338 m/s
Public Speaking 1. Share your experiences (or the experiences you have witnessed) with public speaking and...
Public Speaking 1. Share your experiences (or the experiences you have witnessed) with public speaking and explain how you (or others) overcame nervousness or procrastination to deliver an effective speech. Be specific. What techniques do you think work the best when it comes to overcoming nervousness or procrastination?
How is the sound different when both tuning forks C AND C prime as opposed to...
How is the sound different when both tuning forks C AND C prime as opposed to a signal tuning are ringing? Why the measured beat minimum amplitude is not zero try to create empirical formulas for A_beat_max=f (Ac, Ac’) and A_beat_min=f (Ac, Ac’): List the frequencies found for the tuning forks and how do these frequencies compare to the frequencies of the notes given in lecture?
When you are exercising, your muscles produce more lactic acid as a biproduct of their increased...
When you are exercising, your muscles produce more lactic acid as a biproduct of their increased activity. Explain why adjusting your breathing rate helps to prevent acidemia from the increased lactic acid being generated.
Compound A and compound B both have molecular formula C6H12. Both compound produce epoxides when treated...
Compound A and compound B both have molecular formula C6H12. Both compound produce epoxides when treated with MCPBA. The epoxide resulting from compound A was treated with aqueous acid (H3O+) and the resulting diol has no chirality centers. Propose two possible structures for compound A. The epoxide resulting from compound B was treated with (H3O+) and the resulting diol was a meso compound. Draw the structure of compound B.
1. The overall length of a piccolo is 32.0 cm. The resonating air column vibrates as in a pipe that is open at both ends. Assume the speed of sound is 343 m/s.
  1. The overall length of a piccolo is 32.0 cm. The resonating air column vibrates as in a pipe that is open at both ends. Assume the speed of sound is 343 m/s. a. Find the frequency of the lowest note a piccolo can play (all holes are blocked) b. Find next three resonant modes of the piccolo when all the holes are blocked c. Draw diagrams of lowest 4 resonant modes, labeling all nodes and antinodes. d. Opening...
In your opinion, why is it important to exercise due diligence and sound professional judgment when...
In your opinion, why is it important to exercise due diligence and sound professional judgment when accepting new audit clientele? Do you feel it is appropriate to contact predecessor auditors to gather information about a potential new client? Why or why not?
When making your decision to attend college you had to weigh both the short term and...
When making your decision to attend college you had to weigh both the short term and long term expected benefits against and short and long term expected costs. That is, you undertook benefit/cost analysis and obviously decided that the benefits outweigh the costs — at least in the long run. When estimating the costs of attending college most people think of tuition, fees, books, room, and board, etc… However, to get a full measure of all the costs of a...
What steps have you taken in presentation or public speaking situations to boost your confidence and...
What steps have you taken in presentation or public speaking situations to boost your confidence and reduce your anxiety level? Have you been able to convert anxiety into positive energy? Have you ever had a full-on disaster with a presentation or speech? If so, how did you recover?What steps have you taken in presentation or public speaking situations to boost your confidence and reduce your anxiety level? Have you been able to convert anxiety into positive energy? Have you ever...
When designing a column against buckling, how do you decide weather to use the Johnson or Euler formula in your calculations when computing the critical buckling load?
 When designing a column against buckling, how do you decide weather to use the Johnson or Euler formula in your calculations when computing the critical buckling load?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT