AudioStudies
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Introduction
Biomechanics is the science of movement of a living body that incorporates the fields of classical mechanics and biology; wherein the study of muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments are investigated specifically with respect to how they work in unison to affect the mechanics of movement. The science of biomechanics also includes the study of various body functions, to include blood circulation and renal function.
The application of engineering mechanics principles to living organisms is at the heart of biomechanics; and these principles can be studied at the cellular level, tissue level, or the whole-joint level. Clearly, Newtonian forces affect biological systems, and therefore biomechanics studies kinetics (forces that cause movements) and kinematics (human movement) attributable to such forces.
Human hearing is a sensory event and therefore human perceptions are inherent in the hearing process. Clearly, not only the ears, but the nerves and brain are part of how humans perceive sound (interpret sound waves). The cochlea, a component of the inner ear, contains the cells responsible for converting sound to electrical impulses that allow for human perception.
The ear is the organ of hearing and with respect to mammals (including humans) accounts for balance. The human ear is a complex biomechanical system consisting of three distinct biomechanical entities:
Tympanic Membrane
The tympanic membrane, also called the eardrum, is the thin semi-transparent three-layered membrane in the human ear that receives vibrations (sound) from the outer ear and transmits these vibrations to the auditory ossicles within the tympanic cavity. The eardrum is cone-shaped and forms the boundary between the outer ear and the middle ear; and is comprised of three tissue layers:
Techniques such as holography (recording of wave interference patterns via diffraction) have produced three-dimensional light fields with images depicting the complex vibration patterns of the tympanic membrane at high frequencies.
Young’s modulus (modulus of elasticity) is a measure of the ability of a material to withstand changes in length while under lengthwise compression or tension. The bending stiffness of the eardrum is dependent upon both its Young’s modulus and its thickness.
Basilar Membrane
The mammalian cochlea has a whorled structure, like the shell of a snail, and contains receptors that allow for transduction of mechanical waves into electrical signals. The basilar membrane is the primary mechanical element of the inner ear that serves as a mechanical analyzer within the length of the cochlea, curling toward the center. Within the basilar membrane mass and stiffness properties vary in accordance with the membrane length. The vibration patterns of the basilar membrane separate incoming sound into component frequencies that activate different cochlear regions.
The mechanical properties of the basilar membrane vary with length; as it is thicker, narrower and taut where the cochlea is largest; and thinner, broader, and less taut near the apex of the whorl (where the cochlea is smallest).
Biomechanics is the science of movement of a living body that incorporates the fields of classical mechanics and biology; wherein the study of muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments are investigated specifically with respect to how they work in unison to affect the mechanics of movement. The science of biomechanics also includes the study of various body functions, to include blood circulation and renal function.
The application of engineering mechanics principles to living organisms is at the heart of biomechanics; and these principles can be studied at the cellular level, tissue level, or the whole-joint level. Clearly, Newtonian forces affect biological systems, and therefore biomechanics studies kinetics (forces that cause movements) and kinematics (human movement) attributable to such forces.
Human hearing is a sensory event and therefore human perceptions are inherent in the hearing process. Clearly, not only the ears, but the nerves and brain are part of how humans perceive sound (interpret sound waves). The cochlea, a component of the inner ear, contains the cells responsible for converting sound to electrical impulses that allow for human perception.
The ear is the organ of hearing and with respect to mammals (including humans) accounts for balance. The human ear is a complex biomechanical system consisting of three distinct biomechanical entities:
- outer ear: consisting of the pinna (visible part of the ear) and the ear canal; that focuses sound energy on the eardrum.
- middle ear: formed by three ossicles (very small bones), within a small cavity (tympanic cavity), that transmit vibrations from the eardrum and amplify the sound waves directed to the inner ear;
- inner ear: a thin diaphragm (oval window) and a maze of tubes and passages (labyrinth) that contain the vestibular and the cochlea, a transducer that converts the mechanical sound energy to electrical impulses.
Tympanic Membrane
The tympanic membrane, also called the eardrum, is the thin semi-transparent three-layered membrane in the human ear that receives vibrations (sound) from the outer ear and transmits these vibrations to the auditory ossicles within the tympanic cavity. The eardrum is cone-shaped and forms the boundary between the outer ear and the middle ear; and is comprised of three tissue layers:
- outer cutaneous layer;
- fibrous middle layer;
- mucous membrane on the innermost surface.
Techniques such as holography (recording of wave interference patterns via diffraction) have produced three-dimensional light fields with images depicting the complex vibration patterns of the tympanic membrane at high frequencies.
Young’s modulus (modulus of elasticity) is a measure of the ability of a material to withstand changes in length while under lengthwise compression or tension. The bending stiffness of the eardrum is dependent upon both its Young’s modulus and its thickness.
Basilar Membrane
The mammalian cochlea has a whorled structure, like the shell of a snail, and contains receptors that allow for transduction of mechanical waves into electrical signals. The basilar membrane is the primary mechanical element of the inner ear that serves as a mechanical analyzer within the length of the cochlea, curling toward the center. Within the basilar membrane mass and stiffness properties vary in accordance with the membrane length. The vibration patterns of the basilar membrane separate incoming sound into component frequencies that activate different cochlear regions.
The mechanical properties of the basilar membrane vary with length; as it is thicker, narrower and taut where the cochlea is largest; and thinner, broader, and less taut near the apex of the whorl (where the cochlea is smallest).