In our day to day life, we come across different types of sound, and we are well equipped with a

mechanism to understand different types of variations in the sound pattern. A mother talking to her
kid has a different voice compared to that of the kid. Did you ever think why every person have a
different voice? Let’s learn about the loudness of sound, the pitch of the sound and their difference.

Loudness of Sound
 This phenomenon of a sound depending on the amplitude of the sound wave. If the
amplitude of the sound wave is large, then the sound is said to be loud.
 It is directly proportional to the square of the amplitude of vibration. If the amplitude of
the sound wavebecomes double, then the loudness of the sound will be quadrupled.
 It is expressed in decibel (dB).
 Sounds above 80 dB becomes noise to human ears.
 The table given below gives us data for various sources of sound.

Normal Breathing 10 dB

Soft Whisper (at 5m) 30 dB

Normal Conversation 60 dB

Busy Traffic 70 dB

Average Factory 80 dB
The loudness of a sound wave is determined by its association with the amplitude, all types of waves
have a certain amplitude. For example, a height of a wave on a calm ocean will be less than 1 foot
whereas good surfing waves might be 10 feet or more in amplitude. During a storm, the amplitude
might increase to 40 to 50 feet.

Pitch of Sound
 This depends on the frequency of vibration of the waves.
 If the frequency of vibration is higher, we say that the sound is shrill and has a high pitch. On
the other hand, if the sound is said to have a lower pitch then it has a lower frequency of
vibration.
 A bird produces high pitched sound whereas roaring of a lion is a low pitched sound.
 Voice of a woman has a high pitch than that of a man.

Difference between Pitch and Loudness

These two phenomena seem to be same sometimes but they are not exactly the same. They differ
on the basis of their tone quality. The pitch of a sound is our ear’s response to the frequency of
sound. Whereas loudness depends on the energy of the wave. In general, the pitch is the reason
behind the difference in voice quality of different individuals.
 The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency while loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude
of sound waves. Amazingly, many musicians, who have been trained are capable of detecting a
difference in frequency between two separate sounds that are as little as 2 Hz.

The ear is the organ of hearing and balance. The parts of the ear include:

 External or outer ear, consisting of:

o Pinna or auricle. This is the outside part of the ear.

o External auditory canal or tube. This is the tube that connects the outer ear to the inside or middle ear.

 Tympanic membrane (eardrum). The tympanic membrane divides the external ear from the middle ear.

 Middle ear (tympanic cavity), consisting of:

o Ossicles. Three small bones that are connected and transmit the sound waves to the inner ear. The bones are
called:

 Malleus

 Incus

 Stapes
o Eustachian tube. A canal that links the middle ear with the back of the nose. The eustachian tube helps to
equalize the pressure in the middle ear. Equalized pressure is needed for the proper transfer of sound waves.
The eustachian tube is lined with mucous, just like the inside of the nose and throat.

 Inner ear, consisting of:

o Cochlea. This contains the nerves for hearing.

o Vestibule. This contains receptors for balance.

o Semicircular canals. This contains receptors for balance.