Remember those awful… I mean… awesome mosquito ringtones that became super popular in High School? Well, my roommates and I were talking about them the other day, and I though it was fascinating. Maybe you will, too!
What are they? “The short version: A mosquito or ninja ringtone is a tone outside the audible range of hearing for most people over the age of 30.”
“The mosquito ringtone, also known as teen buzz, works by emitting a sound wave at the high end of the sound spectrum, usually around 14 - 17kHz (17,000 hertz). The human ear can theoretically hear in the range of 20 to 20,000 Hertz, but as we age, this range diminishes due to condition called presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. Volume of the sound also affects your ability to hear it, the same way that if you turn your speakers down, you can’t hear your song anymore.”
Now… in order for us to truly appreciate the coolness of this phenomenon, we first must understand something about how hearing actually works to begin with. And to do that, I’ve recruited one of my favorite YouTubers. The video is entertaining, I promise!
And lastly, now that we know about hearing and the technical definition of what these sneaky frequencies are, we get an opportunity to experience them! Which is the highest one YOU can hear?
Whoever can hear the highest frequency gets a free piece of pizza in my room (103) tonight between 7:30 and 9:30!
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