Download What is Sound? - The Center for Hearing and Speech

Listen Now,
Hear Later
The Center for Hearing and Speech
Hearing Protection Program
What is Sound?
 Sound is a form of energy, just like electricity or light
 Sound travels at 760 miles/hr.
 Sound travels in the air
 Sound is made when air vibrates and moves in a patterns
called sound waves
How we hear
 Sound waves travel into the ear canal and reaches the
eardrum.
 The eardrum passes the sound waves through the middle ear
bones or ossicles into the inner ear.
 These bones are the smallest bones in your body!
 The inner ear is shaped like a snail and is called the cochlea.
 Inside the cochlea, there are thousands of tiny hair cells.
 These tiny hair cells have an important job; to detect the
sound waves in the air.
 These hair cells in turn send the sound waves to the brain.
Parts of the Ear
Bend It or
Break It
What are
dangerous
sounds?

Single exposure
to 140 dB or more
can cause instant damage

Long-term exposure
to 85 dB or more
can cause permanent
damage
How Loud is Too Loud?
 Do you have to shout for people to hear you?
 When you are listening to headphones does the person
next to you need to raise their voice?
 After being around loud sound, did you ever have a
ringing in your ears or head?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you may
have been exposed to damaging sounds.
How do I protect my ears?
 1. Keep it low! Turn down the
volume on your stereo, iPod or MP3
 2. Walk away-Get away from
the loud sound
 3. Wear ear plugs
concerts, power tools, motorcycles,
jet skis and snowmobiles
Keep it Low
 How to use IPods and MP3 safely
Apple’s Volume Limit
- Set the volume while in a quiet place and so you
can still hear sound as well as carry on a
conversation.
- When you go outside DO NOT MAKE IT LOUDER.
Special types of headphones
It’s cool to protect your ears!
 Different kinds of people wear
hearing protectors:
-musicians
-swimmers
-hunters
-airplane pilots
 Take along an extra pair of earplugs/muffs when you go to a
concert, game, or other noisy event.
 Share them with your friends
so they can protect their hearing.
 Find out what your
favorite musicians
do to protect their hearing.
Practice what to say
“Why do you wear hearing protectors?”
Be blunt:
“It’s earplugs now . . . or hearing aids later.”
Be smart:
“I wear a bicycle helmet to protect my head
and earplugs to protect my hearing.”
Be a friend:
“Hearing loss from too much noise is permanent
—and totally preventable. Want to know how?”
Test Your Knowledge
1. What sounds can hurt your hearing, if you are around them too
long?
2. Sound is a form of energy. True or False
3. Sound travels in _____.
4. The bones in your ear are the smallest bones in your body.
Together they are smaller than an orange seed.
True or False
5. What is the part of the inner ear that is shaped like a snail?
Test Your Knowledge
6. What tiny special cells ROCK out in your
cochlea?
7. Once these special cells are damaged they
can grow back.
True or False
8. How many minutes of listening to your IPod
at maximum volume can result in hearing
loss?
A. 5 minutes
B. 15 minutes
C. 5 hours
Bibliography
 Belkin, Lisa. “Protecting Your Child’s Hearing.” The New York




Times. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/drew-brees/.
2 March 2010. Web 19 April 2010.
“Dangerous Decibels.” http://www.dangerousdecibels.org.
2010. Web. 19 April 2010.
“It’s a Noisy Planet.” http://www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov. 26
March 2010. Web. 19 April 2010.
“Setting the Maximum Volume Limit on iPod.”
http://support.apple.com/kb/TZ38403?viewlocale+en_US. 7
September 2007. Web 19 April 2010.
“Wise Ears!” http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/wise. 2 March
2009. Web. 19 April 2010.