Our perception of sound varies depending on where we are located in relation to its source, and on several characteristics of the environment. We have already discussed that sound is a mechanical wave, which has an origin, and needs to travel all the way to our ears before we can hear it. Along the way, those sound waves interact with the environment, such as walls, objects, or the air itself, and begin to change. Many of the changes provide valuable cues for our brain to determine the location of the sound or the nature of the environment. The following is a list of some of the most important factors that have an impact on sound:
Distance: The distance between the source of the sound and our ears has a significant effect on its intensity, because air and other mediums attenuate sound as it passes by.
Direction: Our ears can identify the direction a sound is coming from thanks to minor time and intensity variations between the sounds captured by each ear.
Movement: The...