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Sound is the brain's interpretation of waves of pressure travelling through a medium. These
waves of pressure can be produced by any vibrating object like the strings of a guitar, drums
or our own vocal cords. When these vibrations hit our ears, specific nerve cells are stimulated
to fire electrical signals up to our brain, which then interprets it as "sound". Thus
we have the "conscious experience of hearing". Since sound needs a medium through which to
travel, we cannot hear sound in space. The human ear is capable of hearing sounds
within the frequency range of 20-20000 Hertz. Although we cannot hear sounds out of this
range many other creatures have adapted to these frequencies.
We know that sound is caused when something vibrates and that motion is transferred to
the air molecules nearest the object...which then bumps into other molecules and a chain
reaction occurs. But what is the nature of sound? It seems like a ghost that only takes
shape in our heads. So is it not real? Is sound a quality belonging to the medium or
to the object making the sound? Although these questions do not have straight answers, they
force us to re-think about what we have always thought was so real.
Regardless of what one may think about sound, hearing is one of the amazing five senses
we've got. Hearing, in a sense, gives us extra-awareness of our surroundings. Talking allows us to
communicate with each other and makes us feel connected. Certain combinations of these abstract
waves of pressure can amazingly soothe our minds, reduce stress and trigger feelings
associated with our past experiences. Music not only can move us, inspire us but even
improve our analytical skills.