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What does 8,500 Hz sound like?
8,500 Hz is a brilliance (air) frequency. It is a very high, thin, whistling tone. Sensitivity in this region falls with age, so younger listeners hear it much more clearly than older ones.
A 8,500 Hz sound wave completes 8,500 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 118 µs. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 4.0 cm (1.59 in) long; in water it stretches to 17.4 cm because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Wavelength of 8,500 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 4.0 cm |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 17.4 cm |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 17.6 cm |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 11.8 cm |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 70.1 cm |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 66.4 cm |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 8,500 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 8,500 Hz?
Can hear it
Humans, Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Guinea pigs, Hedgehogs, Raccoons, Ferrets, Opossums, Chinchillas, Bats, Elephants, Beluga whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Budgerigars (parakeets), Owls, Greater wax moths
Cannot hear it
Chickens, Canaries, Cockatiels, Bullfrogs, Tree frogs, Goldfish, Catfish, Tuna
Frequently asked questions
What does 8,500 Hz sound like?
It is a very high, thin, whistling tone. Sensitivity in this region falls with age, so younger listeners hear it much more clearly than older ones.
Can humans hear 8,500 Hz?
Yes. 8,500 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 8,500 Hz?
8,500 Hz is 26 cents above C9, which is 8.372 kHz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 8,500 Hz?
About 4.0 cm in air at 20 °C and 17.4 cm in water.
Can dogs hear 8,500 Hz?
Yes – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.