AUD W1

Cosine Wave

A sound wave representing simple harmonic motion that begins at 90 degrees

Longitudinal Wave

A wave that moves the medium in a direction parallel to the direction in which the wave travels.

Aperiodic Sounds

A waveform that does not repeat over time

Educational Audiology

A wide range of responsibilities in minimizing the impact that hearing loss has on the education of children.

ANSI

American National Standards Institute

Harmonics

Any whole number multiple of the fundamental frequency of a complex wave

Recreational Audiology

Audiologists that find opportunity to provide hearing conservation services to those enjoying excessively loud recreation such as music, firearms, motorboats, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and race cars.

Industrial Audiology

Design hearing conservation programs to identify, and measure the excessive noise areas, consult in the reduction of noise levels, monitor employee hearing levels, educate employees on the permanent consequences of excessive noise exposure, and fit hearing protection for those employees with excessive exposure.

Work

Energy expended by displacement of a mass. (Erg or Joule)

Medical Audiology

Focus on the provision of diagnostic assessments to help establish the underlying cause of hearing or balance disorders; usually working in hospitals, physician's offices, or other health care settings.

Pressure

Force over an area of surface

Pediatric Audiology

Have proficiency in special considerations involved with the diagnostic evaluation of young children; primary role is to facilitate parents' effort to meet the many habilitative challenges the child and family will face.

ISD

International Organization for Standardization

Cochlear Implant Audiology

Part of a cochlear implant team who educates patients and their families on the care and use of CI. Performs CI mapping and monitors patient outcomes.

Formant

Peak of energy in the spectrum of a vowel sound

Beats

Periodic variations of the amplitude of a tone when a second tone of slightly different frequency is produced simultaneously.

Compressions

Portion of a sound wave where the molecules of the medium are compressed together; condensation

Dispensing Audiology

Primary focus is on educating patients on the wear, care, and use of hearing aids and hearing assistive technology, as well as troubleshooting and repairing hearing aids.

Component

Pure-tone constituent of a complex wave

Waves

Series of moving impulses set up by a vibration

Rarefactions

That portion of a sound wave where the molecules become less densely packed per unit of space

Elasticity

The ability of a mass to return to its natural shape

Resonance

The ability of a mass to vibrate at a particular frequency with a minimum application of external force

Intensity

The amount of sound energy per unit of area

Brownian Motion

The constant random colliding movement of molecules in a medium

Wavelength

The distance between the exact same point (in degrees) on two successive cycles of a tone

Kinetic Energy

The energy of a mass that results from its motion

Amplitude

The extent of the vibratory movement of a mass from its position of rest to that point farthest from the position of rest

Stiffness

The flexibility of pliancy of a mass; inverse of compliance

Newton[N]

The force required to give a 1kg mass an acceleration of 1m/sec squared

Force

The impetus required to institute or alter the velocity of a body

Frequency

The number of complete oscillations of a vibrating body per unit of time

Sensation Level (SL)

The number of decibels above the hearing threshold of a given subject for a given signal

Prevalence

The number of existing cases of a disease or condition within a population at any given time

Difference Tone

The perceived pitch of a tone resulting from the simultaneous presentation of two tones of different frequencies

Power

The rate at which work is done- watts or ergs/second

Cancellation

The reduction of the amplitude of a sound wave to zero. This results when two tones of the same frequency and amplitude are introduced 180 degrees out of phase.

Phase

The relationship in time between two or more waves

Velocity

The speed of a sound wave in a given direction

Pitch

The subjective impression of the highness of lowness of a sound; the psychological correlate of frequency

Spectrum

The sum of the components of a complex wave

Sone

The unit of loudness measurement

Sinusoidal Wave

The waveform of pure tone showing simple harmonic motion; sine wave

Joule

The work obtained when a force of one Newton displaces an object one meter

Vibration

To and fro movements of a mass

Decibel (dB)

Unit for expressing the ratio between two sound pressures or two sound powers; it is equal to one-tenth of a Bel

Phon

Unit of loudness level.

Pascals (Pa)

Unit of pressure equal to 1N/m squared

Erg

Unit of work

Transverse Wave

Wave in which the motion of the molecules of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of the wave

Otology

a branch of medicine that deals with diseases of the ear

microbar

a pressure equal to one-millionth of standard atmospheric pressure

Complex Wave

a sound wave made up of a number of different sinusoids, each with a different frequency.

Dyne (d)

a unit of force just sufficient to accelerate a mass of 1 gram at 1 cm per second squared

Sound Pressure Level

an expression of the pressure of a sound

Periodic Sounds

complex sound that repeats over time

Tele-Audiology

delivery of audiological services through phone calls, within synchronous sessions through the phone or using real-time, encrypted videoconferencing, or internet chats, or within an asynchronous format through the forwarding of documents, electronic records, video clips, and so on, for review and online comment for subsequent discussion

Sound Level Meters

device designed for measurement of the intensity of sound waves in air

Potential Energy

energy resulting from a fixed and relative position, as in a coiled spring

Intensity Level

expression of the power of a sound per unit of area

Free Vibration

mass is displaced from its position fo rest and allowed to oscillate without outside influence

Forced Vibration

mass is moved back and forth by applying an external force

Masking

process by which the threshold of a sound is elevated by the simultaneous introduction of another sound

Damping

progressive diminution in the amplitude of a vibrating body

Audiology

study of hearing disorders

Loudness

subjective interpretation of the power of a sound

Localization

the ability of an animal to determine the specific location of a sound source

Oscillation

the back and forth movement of a vibrating body.

Octave

the difference between two tones separated by a frequency ratio of 2:1

Resonant Frequency

the frequency at which a mass vibrates with the least amount of external force; the natural frequency of vibration of a mass

Loudness Level

the intensity above the reference level for a 1000 Hz tone that is subjectively equal in loudness

Threshold

the level at which a stimulus, such as a pure tone, is barely perceptible

Fundamental Frequency

the lowest frequency of a vibration in a complex wave.

Fourier Analysis

the mathematical breakdown of any complex wave into its component parts, consisting of simple sinusoids of different frequencies

Hearing Level (HL)

the number of decibels above an average normal threshold for a given signal. The hearing-level dial of an audiometer is calibrated in dB HL

Mass Reactance

the quantity that results from the formula

Stiffness Reactance

the quantity that results when the stiffness of a body is divided by 2pi times frequence

speech-language pathology

the study and understanding of human communication and its disorders, and assessment and treatment of those disorders

Pure Tone

tone of only one frequency (i.e. no harmonics)

Aural Rehabilitation

treatment to improve communication ability of those with hearing loss acquired after the development of spoken language