Hearing, or audition, is one of the traditional five senses, and refers to the ability to detect sound. Senses are the physiological methods of perception. ... A schematic representation of hearing. ...

In human beings, hearing is performed by the ears, which also perform the function of balance, a sense in itself but not one of the traditional list (due to Aristotle). This is in common with most mammals. Many other organisms also have some form of hearing, either by some sort of ear, or by other structures, or by a combination. Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... An ear is an organ used by an animal to detect sound waves. ... Equilibrioception or sense of balance is one of the physiological senses. ... Aristotle, marble copy of bronze by Lysippos. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument) is a complex adaptive system of organs that influence each other in such a way that they function as a more or less stable whole and have properties of life. ...

A common rule of thumb used to describe human hearing is that human hearing is sensitive in the range of frequency of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, though this varies significantly with age, occupational hearing damage, and gender; some individuals are able to hear up to 22 kHz and perhaps beyond, while others are limited to about 16 kHz. Frequencies capable of being heard by humans are called audio or referred to as sonic. Frequencies higher than audio are referred to as ultrasonic, while frequencies below audio are referred to as infrasonic. Sine waves of various frequencies; the lower waves have higher frequencies than those above. ... The hertz (symbol Hz) is the SI unit of frequency. ... A kilohertz (kHz) is a unit of frequency equal to 1,000 hertz (1,000 cycles per second). ... Audio can mean: Sound that can be heard. ... Sonic might refer to: A sonic boom Supersonic and Hypersonic speeds. ... A baby in its mothers womb, viewed in a sonogram Ultrasound is sound with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, approximately 20 kilohertz/20,000 Hertz. ... Infrasound is sound with a frequency too low to be detected by the human ear. ...

Some organisms are able to hear ultrasound and/or infrasound. Some bats use ultrasound for echo location while in flight. Dogs are able to hear ultrasound, which is the principle of 'silent' dog whistles. Snakes sense infrasound through their bellies, and there is evidence that whales and elephants may use it for communication. See sound for hearing ranges of various organisms. The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera (bats). ... Echolocation, also called Biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several mammals such as bats, dolphins and possibly whales. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The dog is a canine mammal of the Order Carnivora. ... A dog whistle is a type of whistle used in the training of dogs. ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of animals, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ... A schematic representation of hearing. ...

The hearing can be tested using a device or computer program called audiometer. An Audiometer is a machine used for testing hearing. ...

Arthur Reber says, 'Explaining hearing adequately has proven a singularly difficult task. One would almost ensure oneself a Nobel prize by presenting a theory explaining satisfactorily no more than the perception of pitch and loudness.' (A. S. & E. S. Reber, The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (3rd Edn., 2001)) This article does not cite its references or sources. ... In music, pitch is the perception of the frequency of a note. ... Loudness is the quality of a sound which is high in volume (amplitude, or sound pressure). ... Genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are an order of flightless birds living in the southern hemisphere. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul or mind, logos/-ology = study of) is an academic and applied field involving the study of mind and behavior. ...

Localization of sound

Main articles: sound localization, and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]]

Humans can hear the direction of the source of a sound, sometimes with surprising accuracy. Two mechanisms are known to be used. Sound localization is a listeners ability to identify the location of origin of a detected sound or the methods in acoustical engineering to simulate the placement of an auditory cue in a virtual 3D space (see binaural recording). ...

• The nervous system can resolve time differences as small as the time it takes sound to pass one ear and reach the other.
• For high frequencies, frequencies with a wavelength shorter than the listener's head, more sound reaches the nearer ear.

Neither of these mechanisms work as well in water, in which the speed of sound is faster than in air.

The arrival time of a sound to a particular ear is given greater weight when localizing than relative intensity, according to an observation known as the Law of the First Wavefront.

From the ear to the primary auditory cortex

Axons of the vestibulocochlear nerve (auditory nerve) synapse in the cochlear nucleus of the same side. Projections lead from the cochlear nuclei to the superior olives, and the olivary nuclei continue on passing through the lateral lemniscus towards the inferior colliculi, where they synapse again on neurons that project to the medial geniculate nuclei of the thalamus, which in turn projects toward the primary auditory cortex. This Primary Auditory Cortex is located slightly below the lateral fissure between the frontal and the temporal lobes. The vestibulocochlear nerve is the eighth of twelve cranial nerves and also known as the auditory nerve. ... The thalamus (from Greek thálamos = bedroom, chamber) is a part of the brain. ... The primary auditory cortex the region of the brain which is responsible for processing of auditory (sound) information. ... Lateral sulcus The lateral sulcus (also called Sylvian fissure or lateral fissure) is one of the most prominent structures of the human brain. ...

See also

• Music
• Missing fundamental
• Auditory illusion
• Hearing impairment
• Music and the brain
• Auditory system

Music is an art, entertainment, or other human activity which involves organized and audible sound, though definitions vary. ... A missing fundamental is a missing fundamental frequency which higher frequencies refer to. ... An auditory illusion is an illusion of hearing (sense), the sound equivalent of an optical illusion: the listener hears either sounds which are not present in the stimulus, or impossible sounds. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // Introduction Music has the ability to ensnare us all, not only with its mellifluous tones and rhythmic beats, but with its academic intrigue as to why and how it has such power. ... The auditory system is the sensory system for the sense of hearing. ...

External links

• Sensaura white papers on human hearing and emulating hearing in 3D
• flash demonstration on hearing (664 KB)
• Listening Skills How to develop listening skills.
• Compassionate Listening: An Exploratory Sourcebook About Conflict Transformation brings together Quaker, Rogerian, and Buddhist practices, encouraging each person to use the power of listening as a way of deepening their peace-making effectiveness. Free PDF, creative commons license.