Sound is a form of energy that causes particles of a medium to vibrate back and forth. Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20-20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing. Sound is produced when matter vibrates, travels as a longitudinal wave. Anything that vibrates produces sound.
The characteristics of a sound wave are amplitude, frequency, and wavelength. Amplitude is the greatest distance from crest of a wave. Frequency is the number of waves that pass a certain point in a given amount of time. Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive similar points on a wave. These are the factors that determine the sounds that you hear.
The hearing for the ear begins when the outer ear acts as a funnel for the waves. The waves more through out the ear canal and strike a lightly stretched membrane called the eardrum. The vibrating air particles cause the eardrum to vibrate. Vibrations from the eardrum go into the middle ear. The hammer picks up the vibrations from the eardrum. The hammer passes the vibrations to the second bone, the anvil. The anvil transmits the vibrations to the stirrup. The stirrup sets another membrane vibrating. The membrane then transmits the vibrations to the inner ear. The vibrations in the inner ear are channeled into the cochlea. The cochlea contains a liquid and hundreds of cells attached to nerve fibers. The nerve fibers join together and form one nerve that goes to the brain. The cells detect movements in the liquid of the cochlea and convert them to electrical impulses. The nerve fibers transmit the electrical impulses. The nerve fibers transmit the electrical impulses to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. Vocal cords vibrate to make sound. When you talk, air from your lungs rushes past your vocal cords, causing them to vibrate. .
Pitch is a property of sound that depends on the frequency.