The word noise is derived from the Latin word ‘Nausea’, which means sickness in which one feels the need to vomit.
Noise is the unpleasant and undesirable sound which leads to discomfort in human beings.
The intensity of sound is measured in decibels (dB).
The faintest sound that the human ear can hear is 1 Db.
Due to increasing noise around the civilizations, noise pollution has become a matter of concern.
Some of its major causes are vehicles, aircraft, industrial machines, loudspeakers, crackers, etc
Sound travels in waves that carry energy.
Higher energy results in more intense waves and louder sounds.
Measures sound loudness on a logarithmic scale.
A 10 dB increase indicates a tenfold increase in sound intensity.
Threshold of hearing: 0 dB.
Whisper: 30 dB.
Normal speech: 60 dB.
Firecracker (10 feet away): 140 dB (can cause hearing damage).
Loud sounds can damage hair cells in the cochlea, which:
Receive vibrations from the eardrum.
Convert vibrations into nerve signals for the brain.
Damage reduces the sensitivity of hair cells, requiring louder sounds to trigger nerve signals.
Hair cells can recover from moderate sound exposure.
Unlike skin cells, cochlear hair cells cannot regenerate.
Repeated exposure to loud sounds can lead to permanent noise-induced hearing loss.
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