Helium is the second most common chemical element in the universe after hydrogen. However, among those who like to have fun, this inert gas certainly holds the palm. And it’s not surprising: one puff of helium and you’ll be ready to voice Donald Duck.
Helium belongs to the group of inert gases, which means it has a certain degree of narcotic effect. Didn't you know? It's OK! In this indicator, helium is inferior to all other noble gases, so a person who decides to inhale it will not experience addiction. But it’s very possible to have some fun with this gas.
Everyone is wondering why helium changes the voice. It's simple: when gas enters inside, it affects vocal cords, causing them to shrink. The result is a thin “mouse” voice. To be precise, it’s all about the nature and properties of the voice.
Helium is definitely the world's most fun inert gas.
The human voice is sound waves created by the vibration of the vocal cords. The density of helium exceeds the density of the air we usually breathe. The timbre of the voice directly depends on this very density, and the frequency of vibration of the ligaments determines the pitch of the sound emitted. Now it’s clear why helium changes your voice?
A balloon, a voice... what do they have in common?
History has not preserved the name of the first person who inhaled helium and spoke in a funny voice. But his faithful followers do not let the tradition fade away and continue to amuse everyone around. All you need for this is balloon, voice and a little imagination.
A helium balloon will liven up even the most boring party.
The entertainment is quite safe if not abused. Helium is an inert gas without taste or smell. Therefore, a person who has inhaled helium can only be recognized by their voice. But no one will think about why helium changes its voice at the moment of “recognition” - this idea is too hilarious!
Who among us has not tried to inhale the contents of helium balloons and then talk in a funny cartoon voice? Many are even sure that they understand why the voice is so...
Who among us has not tried to inhale the contents of helium balloons and then talk in a funny cartoon voice? Many are even sure that they understand why the voice changes so dramatically.
Here are the most common versions:
- Helium is less dense, so it causes the vocal cords to vibrate more. Hence the higher squeaky voice.
- Helium is lighter than air and comes out faster. The speed of sound changes the voice.
- Helium changes the structure of the vocal cords, which entails a change in voice.
If you don't want to seem stupid, don't say that.
What's really going on?
These indicators are related by the formula:
Wave speed = wave frequency * wavelength
It is the frequency of the sound wave that affects the characteristics of the voice and its individuality.
The vocal apparatus includes the oral and nasal cavities, pharynx, larynx, lungs and trachea. The vocal cords are located in the larynx. The vocal cords are folds on the mucous membrane of the larynx. They actually fluctuate under the pressure of the air exhaled from the lungs. A sound wave is formed, that is, sound. But! This is not a voice. We don't even hear this sound.
What do we hear? Due to the vibration of the vocal cords, the air in the lungs and larynx also begins to vibrate. A resonance occurs. This is a sharp increase in the amplitude of vibrations of a sound wave. It is resonance that increases the volume of sound. We hear these amplified sound waves and call them voice. Resonance occurs at different people on different frequencies with a specific sound wavelength. Usually at four or five frequencies. Therefore, each person's voice sounds different. This is called voice timbre. It is the timbre of the voice that changes when we inhale helium.
Why does the timbre of the voice change?
So, let's inhale helium. What has changed? The environment has changed. Helium is indeed less dense than air. The speed of the sound wave increases in a less dense medium, but its length remains the same (after all, the dimensions of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx have not changed). What indicator is changing? Let's look at the formula. Right! Frequency. Resonance now occurs at higher frequencies of the sound wave. And we hear a different timbre of voice. Squeaky and funny.
Surely you will have fun with your friends more than once, speaking in the voice of a cartoon character. The effect of helium is so amazing that even an adult finds it difficult to resist the temptation to inhale the contents of the balloon. Next time try to surprise your friends with an understanding of the nature of this phenomenon. No one doubts that laughter prolongs life, but only knowledge fills it with meaning.
Helium: changing a person's voice from helium?
Many in childhood performed a “trick” with a gel ball, becoming a cartoon character for a while. So why does helium change the voice, and how long can we maintain this effect?
No one can say the name of the first person who decided to inhale a foreign gas and experience changes in his speech cords. However, many follow the path of the “pioneers” and at parties show their skill in speaking in a sweet voice. There are a huge number of videos on the Internet that allow you to extend the effect of helium by 10-20 seconds. The average duration of action of the gas with one breath is 30 seconds, which is quite enough for telling a small joke or staging a parody.
Each of us asked ourselves questions about why the voice changes from helium, and what factors it depends on. First, helium belongs to a group of inert gases whose density is higher than the density of the air we all breathe. Secondly, when a certain amount of helium is inhaled, an active effect on the vocal cords begins: the air masses “compress” them, and as a result, the interlocutor’s speech changes to that of a child.
Thus, human timbre depends on many factors. However, the density of the air that a person inhales plays a big role. If this indicator of inhaled content is less than a certain level, then sudden changes in speech may not be observed.
Thus, we can conclude that the voice due to inhalation of helium changes solely due to the density of the foreign gas. Using this fact, a person can independently control the time of “mouse” speech.
Why else could the familiar ringing voice of the interlocutor change? Similarly, the timbre would change not only under helium, but also under the influence of other air masses, whose density would be higher than the density of the air we are used to. One can imagine what the speech of a person on the Sun or on the Moon might be like if he inhaled the local air.
Note: helium is part of the group of gases that cause addiction. But in small doses it does not pose any danger to humans. However, you should not overinhale this element, as this can have a bad effect on your well-being.
The density of helium is almost 7 times less than that of ordinary air. When this inert gas is inhaled by the vocal cords, their vibration frequency increases and the voice sounds in a higher pitch. The sounds produced resemble the voice of a cartoon character for some, and the squeak of a mouse or the speech of a baby for others. But, in any case, it becomes .
But after inhaling sulfur fluoride, a heavy gas that is 5 times greater, even girls begin to speak in a low bass voice.
Is inhaling helium safe?
In general, it is considered quite safe, since oxygen enters the human body along with the gas. In addition, it is difficult to recognize a person who has inhaled helium, except perhaps for the moment when he begins to say something.
And the gas itself cannot be determined - it has neither smell nor taste. However, there may be some side effects from helium.
Some people may experience signs of oxygen deprivation, such as dizziness, headache, difficulty breathing, nausea. The vocal cords vibrate at a higher frequency when inhaling helium, which produces the desired effect, but they can be damaged as a result, a process that is considered irreversible.
Deep and frequent breaths of this inert gas can provoke the formation of helium bubbles in the blood. Once they reach the brain, they can cause a stroke and even be fatal.
The usual oversaturation of the lungs with helium may also turn out to be unsafe, when the oxygen content in the human body is significantly reduced.
Here's more interesting fact: If a person is temporarily placed in a chamber that is filled only with helium, after a while he will suffocate. This is due to the fact that such a gas contains only a couple of tenths of a percent of oxygen.
In addition to this, we can add that pampering with helium is especially dangerous for pregnant women, not only for the expectant mother, but also for her baby. Therefore, it is best to simply admire the light balls without trying to inhale the gas contained in them.
If you decide to try the effect of laughing gas, do not inhale at once. large number helium It’s better to take a few small breaths, and when the effect of the gas wears off, try again, just don’t overdo it, because health and life are the most important thing.
Sound is the propagation of waves in elastic medium(gas, liquid, solid body) and is born from vibrations of something (a ruler clamped in a vice, a loudspeaker membrane, air in a pipe, a string, etc.). The higher the oscillation frequency ( larger number vibrations per second), the higher the sound (thinner). On the contrary, the lower the vibration frequency, the lower (rougher) the sound. We cannot hear too high a sound (ultrasound, with a frequency above 20 kHz). The human ear also cannot perceive sounds that are too low (infrasound, with a frequency below 16 Hz).
If you inhale helium (it is better to exhale deeply before doing this), then the ligaments will not be in a normal air environment, but in a helium environment. Helium is a very light gas with normal conditions density is 7 times less than that of air. In a less dense environment, ligaments (like strings, for example) vibrate at a higher frequency. Imagine clapping your hands in water and in air - just like it is easier for ligaments to vibrate in helium than in air, which is seven times more dense.
It can be assumed that if you breathe in some gas (harmless, of course), the density of which is greater than that of air, then your voice, on the contrary, will become lower.
Such a harmless and colorless gas exists and is often used in physical demonstrations. This is sulfur hexafluoride (or sulfur fluoride (VI), SF 6). Its density under normal conditions is 5 times higher than the density of air. The ligaments in it vibrate with less frequency and the voice therefore becomes rougher.
Note as additional information that in addition to high density, sulfur hexafluoride has a high breakdown voltage (89 kV/cm), i.e. it is a very good insulator (this is shown in the video). This property is used in high-voltage electrical engineering, and one of the names of this gas - SF6 - is an abbreviation for "electric gas", which was given in the USSR, where this property was discovered in the 30s.
It is also interesting to know what frequencies the human voice is capable of producing. The best voices are trained, trained singing voices. The lowest sounds are in the bass (80 Hz-350 Hz), the highest are in the soprano (up to 1400 Hz). Some singers are able to play the F note of the third octave (aria of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute") - 1396.9 Hz and even the G note of the third octave (aria "Io non chiedo, eterni Dei" for soprano and orchestra, Mozart KV316) - 1568 Hz.
There are also incredible records playing the lowest or highest notes. Thus, the lowest note, practically inaudible by the ear, was recorded in the performance of Tim Storms from the USA - 8 Hz. Singer Mariah Carey sang a note up to the 4th octave (2093 Hz). In 2014, a national record was set in Ukraine (Kyiv) - singer Svetlana Podyakova reached the 5th octave! And in 2008, Adam Lopez played the note C-sharp of the fifth octave, for which there is not even a key on the piano (the rightmost key of the piano is up to the 5th octave) - this is more than 4000 Hz!
And this without any helium and sulfur hexafluoride!
Balloons filled with helium attract attention not only because they are very light and constantly try to fly up, but also because if you just take and inhale a little helium, your voice will change beyond recognition. What is happening at this moment? Why does your voice change when you inhale helium? We'll explain it to you.
The sound wave generated by the vibration of the vocal cords is our voice. The timbre of the voice and the frequency of vibration of the ligaments depend on the environment around us and the density of which it consists. The density of helium is almost seven times less than the density of air. When inhaling helium, our ligaments contract, their vibration frequency increases, and the voice begins to sound in a higher pitch. The sounds made resemble the squeak of a mouse to some, and the voice of Donald Duck to others. But, in any case, it turns out to be fun.
Inhaling helium from a balloon on one side is quite safe, since some oxygen also penetrates inside along with the helium. Helium gas is tasteless and odorless. But in any case, it must be handled with caution; sometimes some side effects may occur, such as dizziness, intermittent breathing or nausea. If you want to amuse your friends, limit yourself to one or two helium balloons so as not to harm yourself. In small portions this gas is safe, but it’s another matter if you find yourself in a chamber filled with helium, in which case death is inevitable.
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