2006-09-25 08:48:47 · 23 answers · asked by horsey_gal94 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Helium changes the speed of your voice not the tightening of vocal cords as many people think this is how :
Helium is significantly less dense than air. As a result, the speed of sound is much higher in helium. By inhaling helium you are effectively increasing the speed of the sound of your voice. The configuration of your vocal tract does not change, however. If you increase the speed of a sound while keeping its wavelength constant, you increase the frequency of that sound. Since each element of speech is composed of a pattern of several frequencies, altering the speed of sound distorts that pattern.
Result: you sound like Donald Duck.
2006-09-25 08:55:41 · answer #1 · answered by estranged_73 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
THIS IS A BAD THING TO DO. When it says on the cylinder it may be harmful... they really do mean it. Helium gas used in balloons is a by-product of pure helium used in the electronics industry. When it's of no use to them it's sold off as balloon gas.
It now contains all the nasty stuff used in the production of semi conductors (arsenic, lead, mercury other heavy metals and oils) You then inhale this and over time the accumulate in the body and can cause disease and dis-function of the body's organs. As for the squeaky voice the helium travels out of the lungs faster than air as it is lighter. the faster the air the higher the frequency of the voice. PLEASE DON'T DO IT
2006-09-25 09:08:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
JohnTAdam is correct, although helium can give you a sore throat because bottled helium gas is dry, and it will dry out your throat to breathe it.
The speed of sound is higher in helium, because the mean molecular weight is less than air. Even though the vocal chords are in helium and the hearers ears are in air, there is still only one vibration of the eardrum for each vibration of the vocal cord. There are two effects: (1) the vocal chords vibrate faster, because they are in a low-density medium and (2) the effective resonant frequencies of your throat, nose and mouth are higher, because the helium filling them has a higher sound speed; this makes the higher frequences resonate better than low frequencies.
2006-09-25 09:11:36 · answer #3 · answered by cosmo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
JohnT Adam is correct. Helium gas is inert, and does not react with your tissues, therefore it will not cause vocal cords to constrict or tighten, and will not cause sore throats.
Heliox is a mixture of Helium and Oxygen used by deep sea divers to overcome the problems of the Bends.
It is very useful as it vastly reduces the amount of time a diver needs to spend decompressing, the side effect that it makes the divers sounds like Joe Pasquale being castrated
2006-09-25 08:59:14 · answer #4 · answered by Vinni and beer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Helium is an inert gas that is lighter than air and can be inhaled briefly without risk of death. Sound is produced by vibration, the movement of air around our vocal chords. Because helium gas is lighter than the usual oxygen/nitrogen blend, it changes the resonant frequency of the human vocal tract, causing a faster vibration and a higher-pitched, cartoon-character sound.
2006-09-25 08:56:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Helium is an inert gas that is lighter than air and can be inhaled briefly without risk of death. Sound is produced by vibration, the movement of air around our vocal chords. Because helium gas is lighter than the usual oxygen/nitrogen blend, it changes the resonant frequency of the human vocal tract, causing a faster vibration and a higher-pitched, cartoon-character sound.
2006-09-25 08:51:00 · answer #6 · answered by johntadams3 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Helium is lighter than oxygen, and therefore causes less friction with the vocal cords. Your voice thus sounds different (lighter, and Mickey Mouse-like) than you're used to.
2006-09-25 19:51:48 · answer #7 · answered by Malene P 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Obviously it constricts the wind pipe but who cares?? I ain't scientific about it - it's just a helluva good fun!!
Ok. Never saw essexfire... before I wrote (he can obviously type faster than me) and so I read john T's and I am wrong - it doesn't constrict the wind pipe. Still, I ask again - who cares??!! Still good fun!
Edit - been reading others since I wrote about how dangerous this can be - but surely the once in a blue moon is OK? Long term abuse would be dangerous - as with any other substance?
2006-09-25 08:59:38 · answer #8 · answered by wee stoater 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Helium causes the vocal cords to tighten, therefore causing your voice to pitch up.
2006-09-25 08:49:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because Helium has different density than air so your vocal cords resonate at a different frequency.
2006-09-25 08:50:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋