1. Understand how sound waves are produced and the physical measures of frequency (Hertz, Hz) and amplitude (decibel, dB). What does it mean to go from 100 Hz to 200 Hz? Which has a longer wavelength? What does 0 dB SPL mean? What does it mean to go from 0 dB to 40 dB SPL?

2. Understand describing sound waves as sine waves. In what sense is this description accurate and inaccurate? Be able to describe the sequence of the cycle of a sine wave. What can happen when sound waves combine? How does this produce a problem for the hearing system?

3. Know the difference between pitch vs. frequency, loudness vs. amplitude. If you know the frequency, can you predict the pitch? If you know the amplitude, can you predict loudness?

4. Know the structure of the ear. Be able to follow the sequence from a sound wave hitting the pinna to the bending of a hair cell. What happens in the middle ear? Understand the different functions of the Inner Hair Cells and the Outer Hair Cells.

5. Consider the cases of a 50 Hz and a 5000 Hz sound signal. Know how these signals affect the basilar membrane and produce different pitch experiences according to the Rutherford/Wever frequency/volley explanation and the place explanations of Helmholtz and Von Bekesy.

6. What is a click-induced (transient, evoked) otoacoustic emission? How does this happen? What is a spontaneous otoacoustic emission? What do these spontaneous otoacoustic emissions tell us about the basilar membrane?

7. What are the two types of hearing loss? How does an audiogram differentiate between the two types? What type of hearing loss is presbycusis?

8. What is an audibility function? How is it produced? Know the general shape of the function. What does this tell us about hearing?

9. What is the amplitude-frequency shift? Know the general shapes of these contours for different frequencies. Functionally, what do these contours tell us about hearing?

10. What were Steven's scales of loudness and pitch? How were they created? Why aren't they in general use?

11. What is Fourier analysis? What does it mean to say that the basilar membrane is a Fourier analysis machine? Why is this an important property for the issue of sound identity/localization?

12. Understand the azimuth system for indicating spatial location.

13. Know how interaural intensity differences contribute to localization of sounds. Does this work with all frequencies?

14. Know how interaural time differences contribute to localization of sounds. Does this work with all frequencies?

15. The cues for sound localization were tested in an experiment by Stevens and Newman on a rooftop at Harvard University. What were the results? What do the results suggest for human hearing?

16. What is the illusion that we experience when watching a video in a classroom or you watch TV at home? How does ventriloquism work? Can a person really "throw his voice"?

17. What is the cone of confusion? Why do we have difficulty discriminating between a sound located at 0 and at 180 degrees? Understand why moving your head makes localizing a sound easier in this situation. How does this effect apply to daily life?

18. What happens on your basilar membrane when I play a musical note, like a middle-C (~262 Hz), on a guitar or piano? How is that different from what happens with a 262 Hz sine wave?

19. For musical notes, what is the fundamental frequency? What are harmonics? Can you predict the location of harmonics if you know the fundamental frequency? What is timbre?

20. How did Helmholtz explain the relationship between pitch and timbre? What is the missing fundamental effect and why is it important for Helmholtz's explanation?