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RE: Ears! How can we know a where a sound is coming from? Sound localisation.

in #science7 years ago

I feel that distance of sound certainly includes reflections, but more than that we are using felt sense of resonances within the matter in our vicinity - plus the overall acoustic signature changes caused when sounds vibrate in the air over time and other issues relative to the shape of the earth and environment in general..

It would be interesting to find out how sounds are experienced elsewhere in the universe!

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sounds in the distance kind of appear to take up more space don't they? There was an experiment where they played the same noise at different distances but that reached the ear at the exact same amplitude, the subjects still successfully determined which was closer and further so it must be environmental factors, and perhaps you are right that there may actually be senses other than hearing at play, the various parts of our body all have resonant frequencies.. I wonder how much of a role this plays in how we perceive hearing. I met a deaf dancer once who was able to dance to music because he literally felt it.

Oh yes, feelings are a large part of this. Sounds are clearly vibrations and we are vibrational beings first and foremost. There are examples of people seeing perfectly well while wearing major blindfolds too - but that is beyond feelings and into the realms of 'extra sensory perception'.. :)

I have been able to lean my whole body against the waves coming from a massive bass setup in a nightclub (standing in a doorway) - the bass literally held me up.. So it is clear that our whole body is capable of feeling sounds and of playing a role in sound perception.

I think it will help to examine how dolphins use their 'sonar' to model their reality if we are to understand how our own mind processes sound in 3D.