threshold of hearing

Hearing is the physiological process of perceiving sound. It's how the ear transforms sound vibrations into nerve impulses that the brain interprets as sounds. Sound waves are produced by vibrating objects and travel through the air. The ear can distinguish loudness and pitch, with pitch related to frequency and loudness to intensity.123

The human ear is most sensitive to frequencies between 1,000 and 4,000 hertz, with the entire audible range from about 20 to 20,000 hertz. The threshold of hearing is the minimum audible pressure, around 10^-5 pascals, while the threshold of pain is over 10 pascals. This vast dynamic range requires a nonlinear response from the ear. The process involves converting air vibrations to mechanical vibrations in the ear, then to nerve impulses transmitted to the brain.234