frequency range for human ear

[danroll]

does anyone know where i can find a diagram or graph showing the frequency range for the human ear?

[Eurox]

All I know is the ear range is between 20kHz and 20,000 kHz, If you want to put that on a graph.

[Postdog]

It differs by age too. I'm no medical expert but I remember seeing something on TV the other week about this invention which emits a noise only teenagers and young people can hear, the idea being that they will no congregate around this noise, and yet to others it does nothing.

[tubeway]

Normal hearing range for children/adolescents is around 20Hz to 20,000Hz. As you get older the hair cells in the cochlea get damaged or destroyed - this usually affects the hair cells that deal with high frequency sounds first ( as they are neared the "entrance" to the cochlea ). So most people will lose these high frequency sounds first. I test hearing for a living - and it is not very uncommon for people in their 80's to not hear anything above 6,000Hz.

My father-in-law has quite bad noise damage to his hearing - and he has normal (less than 20dBHL threshold) hearing to 4,000Hz - and then no measurable hearing at higher frequencies.

N.B. the description of cochlear function in the first paragraph is VERY simplified.