Like the vibration of a drum or a violin string, the vibration frequency of the vocal cords is independent of the type of gas that surrounds them. Whereas the velocity of the sound waves is faster in helium and the wavelength greater , the frequency remains unchanged because it is determined by the vibrating vocal cords. Rather the timbre, or quality, of the sound changes in helium: listen closely next time and you will notice that a voice doesnt become squeaky but instead sounds more like Donald Duck.
It is the lesser density of the helium--which serves as the medium for the sound waves--flowing through the larynx that produces this differing quality in the voice. Answer originally posted on June 14, Sign up for our email newsletter.
Already a subscriber? Sign in. We bet your voice sounded pretty funny when you inhaled some helium! Did it make you giggle? Oooh, that's an interesting question! If the bouncy house itself is light enough, it may be possible that it would float away! We're glad bouncy houses aren't filled with helium, though -- who knows where you might end up floating to!!
Thanks for hanging out with us in Wonderopolis, Miss Joey and Kiddos! We think it's great that you are being so thoughtful about caring for the world around you, Kamren! Here are a couple Wonders of the Day that describe ways we each can do our part of combat global warming and help the environment!
Be sure to check out the "Try It Out" sections of each Wonder! Have you ever heard someone talk after inhaling a little helium? It makes us giggle! Hi, Anthony! Overall, helium isn't too dangerous. But humans can't solely breathe in helium.
We need oxygen for the health of our organs. Hello, Gabe! We do not know of other types of gas that change your voice. But, we imagine they exist, since there are other gaseous elements that are less dense than regular air as well.
We just might not come in contact with them as often as helium balloons! Because our bodies need oxygen to function and survive, if you were to only breathe helium, you wouldn't get the oxygen you need. That's why a couple puffs of helium is usually fine -- because you're still breathing the regular air that your organs need. Thanks for hanging out with us in Wonderopolis!
Great question, Wesley! Although helium is the 2nd most abundant element in the universe, it's fairly rare here on Earth. Today, helium is extracted from natural gas. Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis! Hi, Grace! Usually a puff or two of helium isn't harmful. Our bodies require us to breathe oxygen, though, so breathing only helium can be harmful to us. Helium is used for balloons because it's lighter than regular air.
That's what makes the balloons float! Thanks for hanging out with us in Wonderopolis, Sean! Hmmm, we're not sure, Sean! It's probably best to stick with good ole' air -- that combination of oxygen and nitrogen is what's best for our bodies! In today's Wonder of the Day, we learned that helium has a lower density than the oxygen and nitrogen that we normally breathe. This means that when we speak, the sound travels faster through helium, causing our voice to sound different.
Have you ever taken a puff of helium? Did it make your voice sound higher pitched? We've only tried breathing helium a couple times and it didn't seem to tickle too much. But it sure did make us giggle when we heard ourselves talk! Hi, Jeshaiah! Helium might have other effects, but today we WONDERed about a very distinct one -- how it changes the sound of your voice!
You're welcome, Landon! We imagine people have different sounding voices based on a few factors, including your age and how your unique DNA has shaped your vocal cords! We're really glad you came to Wonderopolis today! Good morning, Madayal, Emma and Evan! Taking a few puffs of helium is usually not a danger, but if you were to breathe only helium for an extended amount of time, it can be very dangerous. We need to breathe oxygen to keep our organs healthy!
Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis today! Inhaling helium for an extended amount of time means that you aren't getting enough oxygen to your brain and other organs. Our bodies need oxygen to survive, so that's why breathing too much helium can be dangerous! Hello there, Abi! Can you think of some other instances where the sound of your voice might change? What about when you're underwater and you try to talk?
We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:.
Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook.
Why does helium change the sound of your voice? How is helium different from regular air? Can breathing helium be dangerous? Tags: See All Tags breathe , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , COPD , density , element , gas , helium , Human Body , larynx , mouth , nitrogen , nose , oxygen , science , vocal cord , voice.
Wonder What's Next? Keep learning more about helium by exploring the following activities with a friend or family member: Have you ever tried sucking helium out of a balloon?
How did it make your voice sound? Some people report sounding like a duck, while others think they sound like a squeaky mouse. What about you? What do you think your voice on helium sounds like? Would you want to sound like that all the time? Why or why not? This amplifies the higher frequencies in your voice. The gas sulfur hexafluoride works in the opposite way.
The following is a transcript of the video. Your voice is as unique as your fingerprint. So, let's take a look at how that's even possible. The sound of your voice starts in your voice box, or larynx. In the box are two stretchy strands of tissue, your vocal cords. Which vibrate against each other at a specific frequency when you talk.
Women generally have thinner, shorter, tighter vocal cords than men. So, their vocal cords vibrate faster which generates a higher pitched voice. That sound is called the fundamental frequency of your voice.
On its own it just sounds like a simple buzzing. Sound travels 1, feet per second meters per second through regular air, but it travels 3, feet per second meters per second through helium gas. This is because nitrogen and oxygen molecules that make up the bulk of air are much heavier than helium atoms, so they don't oscillate back and forth nearly as quickly. That oscillating is what pushes the sound wave through the gas. In physics, the speed of a wave equals its frequency multiplied by its wavelength.
So, if a sound wave travels faster through a vocal tract full of helium than it would through a vocal tract full of air, either its frequency or its wavelength must get a boost in a helium-filled cavity, too. The wavelengths that resonate with the vocal tract depend only on its shape — i.
0コメント