JOURNAL ARTICLE

Comments on "What is silence? Therefore, what is sound?" — A discussion of Brownian motion and the threshold of hearing (L).

  • Published In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2024, v. 155, n. 6. P. 3604 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Berger, Elliott H. 3 of 3

Abstract

This letter comments on prior research regarding the hypothesis that the human auditory threshold in the most sensitive frequency region may be limited by Brownian motion of air molecules, also known as thermal noise. The author reviews and expands on previous studies, noting that while average human hearing thresholds lie above calculated Brownian noise levels, the most sensitive listeners—those in the lower percentiles of hearing thresholds—may indeed approach this fundamental noise limit. The letter highlights complexities in measuring and modeling cochlear noise and suggests that Brownian motion could plausibly set a physiological limit for the best human hearing sensitivity. Additional resources, including a Microsoft video on creating extremely quiet environments, are referenced for further exploration of Brownian noise.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 2024/06, Vol. 155, Issue 6, p3604
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Physics
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0001-4966
  • DOI:10.1121/10.0026229
  • Accession Number:178147264
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Journal of the Acoustical Society of America is the property of American Institute of Physics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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