What is the upper bound of the audible frequency range?

What is the upper bound of the audible frequency range?

• A. 2,000 Hz
• B. 20,000 Hz
• C. 20 Hz
• D. 200,000 Hz

Answer: (B)

Humans can perceive sound across a range from about 20 Hz up to roughly 20,000 Hz. So the upper limit of what we can hear is around 20,000 Hz, often written as 20 kHz. Frequencies above this fall into the ultrasonic range and aren’t audible to people. Among the options, 20,000 Hz matches the standard upper bound for human hearing. The other values sit outside that upper limit (2,000 Hz is well below the top end, 20 Hz is the lower end of the range, and 200,000 Hz is far above what humans can hear). Keep in mind that individual hearing can vary with age and health, but 20 kHz is the conventional upper bound used in introductory discussions.

Humans can perceive sound across a range from about 20 Hz up to roughly 20,000 Hz. So the upper limit of what we can hear is around 20,000 Hz, often written as 20 kHz. Frequencies above this fall into the ultrasonic range and aren’t audible to people. Among the options, 20,000 Hz matches the standard upper bound for human hearing. The other values sit outside that upper limit (2,000 Hz is well below the top end, 20 Hz is the lower end of the range, and 200,000 Hz is far above what humans can hear). Keep in mind that individual hearing can vary with age and health, but 20 kHz is the conventional upper bound used in introductory discussions.