Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!tekecs!orca!brucec From: brucec@orca.UUCP (Bruce Cohen) Newsgroups: net.math Subject: Re: Scales again Message-ID: <18@orca.UUCP> Date: Thu, 4-Aug-83 15:13:45 EDT Article-I.D.: orca.18 Posted: Thu Aug 4 15:13:45 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 5-Aug-83 12:35:21 EDT References: bronze.679 Lines: 12 I believe (not positive, bu I don't currently have access to any of my acoustics or sensory psychology/physiology books), that the reason the pure tones can be consonant or dissonant is that the ear is not a linear transducer. In converting the sound waves to mechanical movements of the sensory fibers in the inner ear a degree of non-linear mixing takes place, which generates harmonics (and sum and difference frequencies) which did not exist in the original sounds. Bruce Cohen UUCP: ...!teklabs!tekecs!brucec CSNET: tekecs!brucec@tektronix ARPA: tekecs!brucec.tektronix@rand-relay