Abstract
THE frequency above which air-borne sound becomes inaudible is generally considered to be about 20 kc./s. All sensitivity determinations agree that the threshold rises very steeply above 12 kc./s.; and above 12 kc./s. there are indications that frequency discrimination begins to fail, that is, that the least discriminable increment of frequency measured as a fraction of an octave begins to rise sharply. It seems to have been tacitly assumed that the human cochlea is incapable of response to frequencies above 20 kc./s., and that the upper limit for air-borne and bone-conducted sound is the same.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PUMPHREY, R. Upper Limit of Frequency for Human Hearing. Nature 166, 571 (1950). https://doi.org/10.1038/166571b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/166571b0
This article is cited by
-
High-frequency sound components of high-resolution audio are not detected in auditory sensory memory
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
Stretchable Loudspeaker using Liquid Metal Microchannel
Scientific Reports (2015)
-
Ultrasonic communication in concave-eared torrent frogs (Amolops tormotus)
Journal of Comparative Physiology A (2008)
-
Ultrasonic communication in frogs
Nature (2006)
-
An Application of Behavioral Technology to the Problem of Nuisance Bears
The Psychological Record (1982)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.