Sound waves are created when a force producing the sound (for instance, someone vocalizing) causes air molecules to move. These molecules compress into wave patterns, which interact with the human ear, pushing around tiny hairs inside the cochlea, which sends signals to the brain that we experience as sounds. The reason why we can experience different kinds of sounds is the properties of sound waves. Specifically, a sound’s pitch (high or low) is determined by the wave’s frequency, while a sound’s volume (quiet or loud) is determined by the wave’s amplitude. Frequency, expressed in hertz (Hz, /sec), refers to the number of times a complete wave of sound will pass a given point in a given amount of time (in the case of Hz, this amount of time is seconds). Therefore, sound wave patterns that feature waves closer together will have a higher frequency. Amplitude is determined by the height of each wave, so waves that are taller would be experienced as louder.
In this project, we have investigated so-called “healing frequencies,” which are pitches spiritualists believe have healing properties to the human aura. These frequencies are 528, 432, and 320 Hz. In order to plot and animate these frequencies, we put together an equation that would allow us to visualize these basic properties of sound waves. Because the accompanying audio files play at a consistent amplitude, we maintained a consistent amplitude in our graphs. We put together the basic sound wave equation y=sin(2πft), where t is time (the x-axis), y is the height of the wave (the y-axis), and f is the sound’s frequency. We futzed with the equation and parameters to make it easy to view on mathematica, and stills from these plots are pictured on the poster. Come up to us at the showcase and we can show you animations of these waves moving as well as play the frequencies for you. Get ready to heal!
