Can Sounds Trigger Memory?

After presenting what I have learned, a "spectator" asked me about the relationship between sounds and memory. This struck a sense of curiosity in me. On a desperate search to find the answer, I stumbled upon an article all about memory. After reading the article, I fount that there is a section all about things you see, hear and thing that scare you and how they trigger memories. The article is here. There is a part of our brain called sensory cortex. There are two parts of the sensory cortex: the primary cortex and the secondary cortex. The secondary cortex determines the pitch of a noise and different musical noises. An experiment was done, training rats to associate a certain sound with an electric shock. The rats froze in fear when they heard the noise. Then, the scientists put a lesion in the rats secondary cortex, and the rat didn't recognize the sound as it did before. What does this mean to my research? It means that there is an emotional association with sound and this takes place in the secondary sensory cortex. Can sounds trigger memory? Yes. Why? Because the brain associates the sound with your emotions, fear especially. Works cited: Rettner, Rachael. "Brain's Link Between Sounds, Smells and Memory Revealed." Live Science. 5 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Why Does Singing Sound Better In the Shower?

One question that has been weighing my mind down for as long as I can remember is, "Why do you sound better in the shower?" I found an article depicting the reason for this here. In the first part of the article, the author explains that part of the answer is that you are more relaxed. You are able to just sing, whereas when you are with someone else, you may be tense. However, that is not all of it. Smaller space create a more "acoustic friendly" environment. Put simply, you hear yourself from all around you. Also, when you sing in the shower, there is an element of sound distortion. When the water runs, you hear that "flat-tone" which, during a certain circumstance, can compliment your voice. The water also comes into play because it gets in our ears, causing us to not hear as well as we could normally. The part that helps my research is the part about the acoustics. No matter whether the water is running or not, you can sound better (to and extent) in the shower. Work cited : Reinstein, David A. "Singing in the Shower: Belt It Out!" Associated Content. Yahoo! Web. 11 Mar. 2011.

What Are Acoustics? (Attempt #2)

I spoke too soon. I am back on World Book for a much shorter article only on acoustics. You can access this article here. This article was very helpful in explaining what acoustics are. Acoustics are a branch of physics dealing with sound. So, rather than acoustical research within sound, as I thought, it is actually the other way around. Acoustics are sound. Never the less, the article did provide many new, interesting facts. One intriguing one is that there is an acoustic spectrum. The acoustic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies. The spectrum can be divided into audible sound, infrasound, and ultra sound. Audible sound is what the human ear can hear. Infrasound is frequencies that are too deep in pitch for us to hear. Lastly, ultrasound is frequencies that are too high in pitch for the human ear to hear. Scientists that are in the field of acoustical research are called Acousticians. They use microphones to measure sound in the air, and hydrophones to measure sound in the water. To detect vibrations, they use accelerometers and geophones. Even laser beams are used to detect vibrations! They don't even have to touch the object. Sound is measured in waves, so when it hits an object, there can be four different results. The waves can be diffracted, dissipated, reflected, or refracted. In more common terms, they can be spread out, absorbed, reflected, or bent. Acoustical research has many branches within its own branch. There's architectural acoustics, environmental acoustics, underwater acoustics, physiological acoustics, psychological acoustics, speech communication, musical acoustics, medical acoustics, and lastly, bioacoustics. To read more about each type of acoustic, please reference the article. Today's work cited:
Tucholski, Edward J. "Acoustics." World Book Student. World Book, 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2011

What Are Acoustics? (Attempt #1)

So this is it. My last post regarding World Book Student. Today, the question is, "What are acoustics?" To link to the final subsection of the article, click here. I learned that acoustical research was first started by Lord Rayleigh, a British physicist, in 1878. Acoustical research is still continuing to expand and reach new areas. For instance, Georg von Bekesy showed how the ear distinguishes between sounds. This happened only about 70 or so years ago. Now, we have things such as Active Noise Cancelation, or ANC, and Active Structural Acoustic Control, or ASAC. On the topic of ANC, I saw a machine in my therapist's office in the waiting room. It was producing a sound simmilar to white noise. I figured it was something to help you relax, because white noise is usually related to sleeping. Well, it now makes sense, because the machine was creating a white noise. It was not for relaxation, however. It was to block out any sound from the office. Even more intriguing, it only blocks out sounds from the office. When in the office, you can hear much of what is going on in the waiting room. Also, now I know that white noise is not to trick the brain into falling asleep, but rather to block out noise. I found out many information today and I was able to make a few strong connections, but I was unfortunately not able to answer my question. To answer this I will have to find a new source. One final thanks to World Book, you have been a great source and a great help. For the works cited, please refrence "How Are Sound Waves Created?"

How Is Sound Recorded?

Nearing the end of the article, I referenced World Book Student to find out how sound is recorded. To link to this section click here. To sum up the sub, Thomas Edison invented the microphone. The invention started out as a small metal cylinder wrapped in tin foil. It could only replay the sound. Then, Emile Berliner, a German inventor, created a way that you could transfer a sound on to a small disc instead of a cylinder. This lead to the invention of compact discs, or CD'S. But, before that invention, there was the tape recorder. These were commonly used in recording industries. It wasn't until the mid-1950's that tape recorders were a household item. Yet another thanks to World Book, my project wouldn't be much of anything without it. For works cited, you can reference "How Are Sound Waves Created?".

How is a Sound Loud or Soft?

Once again, I used World Book to help me. The section I used is here. Essentially, the subsection explained that the intensity of the sound is due to the sound's amplitude, or the longest distance that an object moves from its position of rest as it vibrates. If the amplitude increases, the intensity of the sound increases. Sound intensity is measured in decibels (dB). The softest sound a human can hear is a 3,000 hertz tone of 0 dB. That is called the threshold of audibility. A level of 140 dB is the threshold of pain. Sounds of 140 dB or more can damage a person's eardrum. How strong the sound is is called loudness. The more intense a frequency is, the louder the frequency is. Loudness is measured in phons. Another "thank you" to World Book Student, and please reference "How Are Sound Waves Created?" for the work cited.

How Do Frequencies Affect Pitch?

Still sticking to World Book Student, I discovered how frequencies affect pitch. I found the answer here. In summary, a frequency is how frequent sound waves pass a certain point in a second. Pitch is determined by frequency and is how high or low we hear the sound to be. Frequencies are measured in hertz. The average human can hear up to 20,000 hertz. Regarding how frequencies affect pitch, the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch. In contrast, a lower frequency makes a lower pitch. Once again, thanks to World Book, and for work cited please reference "How Are Sound Waves Created?".

How Are Sound Waves Created?

Today, I found many sources. I got very carried away and had to slow down, but in the end, I decided to sit down and read an incredibly long but helpful article from World Book Student. To link to this article click here. My first goal in reading this article was to find my first question: "How are sound waves created?" In the first ten paragraphs, my question is answered in deep detail relating to different objects such as humans, animals, music, and such. Basically, whether relating to an animal or an instrument, sound waves are vibrations. The vibrations vibrate everything around the object, which cause waves. The waves travel and travel and eventually die off. But not before vibrating our eardrum, causing us to hear. A big thanks to World Book Student, their endless pages of sound information will help my project to be thorough and detailed. Today's work cited:
Busch-Vishniac, Ilene J. "Sound." World Book Student. World Book Online Reference Center. Web. 4 Mar. 2011.

EXPLORATION Activity 1

Topic I chose to investigate: Sound Waves and Acoustics

Why I chose this topic. Be specific and relate it to yourself as much as possible (family,personal, community interest or connection to this topic):

I chose this topic because I have always taken an interest in sound, what sound is, and, more importantly, why sound exists. I also want to know how I can project my voice while on stage, and what acoustics are.

What I think already know about this topic:
• Acoustics are better (stronger) in a shower

• Sound waves cause noise
• The ear picks up vibrations from sound waves
• Certain grooves can carry acoustics
• Sound waves go off in all directions
Questions I want to find the answer to about this topic:
1. If a tree falls when no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?
2. Why are acoustics better/stronger in a shower?
3. How can grooves carry acoustics throughout an auditorium?
4. How does a microphone work?
5. ON-STAGE: What is better: a microphone or projecting your voice?

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“Student Inquiry in the Research Process”
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