The echo is the repetition of a sound by an acoustic phenomenon that consists of the reflection of the sound wave in a hard body. Once it is reflected, the sound returns to the place of origin with a certain delay and, in this way, the ear distinguishes it as another independent sound.
The minimum delay required for this phenomenon to occur varies depending on the type of sound. In cases where the sound is distorted so much that it becomes unrecognizable, we speak of reverberation.
For example: “The echo of his voice in the cathedral made it difficult to understand the songs”, “During the holidays I went to the mountains with my parents and we played with the echo generated by shouting on the cliffs”, “I need you to come down the volume of the TV as the phone echoes”.
According to Abbreviationfinder, the echo consists of the repetition of a sound, produced by an acoustic phenomenon.
Symbolic uses of the concept
This acoustic phenomenon also allows the concept of echo (which comes from the Latin echo) to be used in a symbolic way. In this way, the person who repeats what another says is also known as an echo, as well as sayings that are strongly influenced by an antecedent: “He wants to present himself as a new candidate, but he is nothing more than the echo of the old political leader. of the people”, “I ask you to point out my mistakes, not to be my echo and join in everything I say”.
The faintly perceived sound, the vague rumor of an event and the impact of news are other ideas that can be expressed through the notion of echo: “The echo of the player’s statements reached the club and sparked controversy”, “The echo of the bombs is heard throughout the region”.
Echolocation is a resource of certain animals that can detect the objects that surround them by analyzing the echo of the sounds they emit.
Echolocation
Also known by the name of echolocation, echolocation is a mechanism used by some animal species for the purpose of detecting surrounding objects. Basically, it consists of the emission of sounds and the subsequent analysis of their echoes. It is worth mentioning that unlike sonar, developed for the assistance of navigators, animals have several receivers.
Mammals that use echolocation include bats (with a few exceptions), sperm whales, and dolphins. Regarding the oviparous, we can mention the guácharos (also known as cave birds), the salanganas and the swifts. Some scientists have tried to prove that human beings also have this ability to some extent, but no one has yet presented irrefutable proof.
Through the interpretation of the echo, the animals manage to measure the distance they are from the detected objects, taking the delay time of the sound as fundamental data. In addition, the fact that each ear perceives the echo at different times, with a different intensity and frequency, allows the recreation of the size and certain characteristics of the elements, more complex than their mere position.
The case of the bats
Despite what many think, bats have a sense of sight, and some use it to navigate and hunt during the day, reserving echolocation for flights in total darkness. In these cases, in addition to detecting their prey, they use this resource to avoid dangers such as areas inhabited by predators and to find a source of insects that has not been found by many hunters.
The ultrasound is generated in the larynx and emitted through the mouth or nose, to form a call whose frequency range goes from 14,000 to 100,000 Hz, 80,000 Hz above the limits of our auditory perception. On the other hand, these same animals are capable of producing sounds of considerably low frequencies, reaching 10 Hz.