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2019-02-09, 06:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
I saw this State Farm commercial where there were a car accident and a gas of helium was release in an octane truck. And everybody what talking high-pitched. So my question is why is helium make your voice high-pitched?
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2019-02-09, 06:35 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2016
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Helium is lighter than air (you get the opposite effect with denser substances). Because of that sound travels faster through it, and it's to do with that.
I think it goes...
The same pitched sound in helium has a longer wavelength than the wavelength in air. A sound with the same wavelength has a higher frequency (or pitch).
This is because speed=wavelength*frequency.
When the waves are being formed they are formed at a given wavelength, which (as above) corresponds to a higher frequency.
At the helium/air boundaries the frequencies stay the same (because the point on the boundary has to be in both camps) and the wavelength changes (and it remains the higher frequency).
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2019-02-09, 06:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
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2019-02-09, 06:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2016
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
You can see some more stuff here (which shows I wasn't quite right)
http://www.animations.physics.unsw.e...jw/speech.html
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2019-02-09, 08:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2017
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
First, that commercial is not serious. You can suffocate in a pure helium environment.
Now for why; well when I asked Google, the first results said;
When you inhale helium, you're changing the type of gas molecules in your vocal tract and increasing the speed of the sound of your voice. Some people think that helium changes the pitch of your voice, but the vibration frequency of the vocal cords doesn't change along with the type of gas molecules that surround them.
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2019-02-09, 09:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
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2019-02-10, 01:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Mythbusters did a nice bit with both helium and sulfur hexaflouride in one episode (so a light and a heavy gas). You can see it here.
"That's a horrible idea! What time?"
T-Shirt given to me by a good friend.. "in fairness, I was unsupervised at the time".
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2019-02-11, 10:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
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2019-03-14, 03:17 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2019
- Location
- Earth, presumably
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
As long as they stayed close to the ground and the helium was only a leak, not a full release, they'd most likely have a little bit of time to breathe safely without suffocating. You can breathe helium in small dosages, but in between huffs you should breathe normally to replenish your oxygen levels. They'd need to leave soon, though, since the oxygen levels in there would get pretty low fairly quickly.
As for why it make your voice sound higher, "When you inhale helium, you're changing the type of gas molecules in your vocal tract and increasing the speed of the sound of your voice. Some people think that helium changes the pitch of your voice, but the vibration frequency of the vocal cords doesn't change along with the type of gas molecules that surround them." (From google and my basic understanding of physics)
http://mentalfloss.com/article/21590...ce-sound-funnyQuotes from my adventuring party:
"They're not really innards anymore. They're out-ards."
"Your lower back burns from the death glare of a dwarf."
"What's Thor gonna do, zap me?"
"Is it drugs?"
"I set my weapons on the ground." "Do you set your brain down, too?"
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2019-03-14, 03:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Cippa's River Meadow
- Gender
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2019-03-15, 01:15 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Gender
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2019-03-15, 03:29 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Cippa's River Meadow
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Actually no and this lack of detectability is is what makes inert gas asphyxiation so deadly.
During normal breathing, CO2 goes from your bloodstream to the air via the alveoli in your lungs. The primary mechanism for this is diffusion - the CO2 content in the air in your lungs is less than the CO2 content in your blood.
If you're inhaling an inert gas, the CO2 content in the gas is still less than the CO2 content in your blood, so you exhale CO2 plus the inert gas (helium in this case). However you're not taking on any oxygen, so the oxygen content of your blood stream drops and you fall unconscious.
This is in contrast to environments with high CO2 levels where CO2 is pushed into your bloodstream via diffusion along the concentration gradient, which we've evolved to detect - it's one of the quirks of evolution that we often develop a 'just good enough' response to environmental factors.
Since we're far more likely to encounter low oxygen environments in conjunction with high CO2 levels, we're built to detect that; the primary detection mechanisms is more acidic blood pH from the increased levels of dissolved CO2. This triggers the hypercapnia alarm response, which induces pain, panic and inhalation.
I've worked in several places which handle large quantities of liquid nitrogen (on the order of thousands of litres) and I've always been told if you see the low O2 alarm go off, RUN.Last edited by Brother Oni; 2019-03-15 at 03:31 AM.
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2019-03-15, 06:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Ah, OK, that makes sense. Thanks!
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2019-03-16, 03:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Location
- Richmond, VA
- Gender
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2019-03-16, 04:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
I can do you one better. Every noble gas lighter than Radon.
I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums.
I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that. -- ChubbyRain
Current Design Project: Legacy, a game of masters and apprentices for two players and a GM.
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2019-03-17, 02:23 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Cippa's River Meadow
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
GMP manufacturing environment, so PPE is mandatory before even entering the facility. In busy/loud kit areas, ear defenders are also mandatory, which you have to put in before getting cleaned and gowned up. Depending on the activity and drug, full hood respirators may also be required, so if you're fully kitted up, you're not hearing much at all:
Spoiler: The height of scientist fashion
That said, there is probably an audible component as well, but the alarm's never gone off when I was working, so I can't confirm it.Last edited by Brother Oni; 2019-03-17 at 02:29 AM.
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2019-03-17, 08:44 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Location
- Richmond, VA
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.
Number of times Roland St. Jude has sworn revenge upon me: 2
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2019-03-17, 11:13 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2018
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
There are also gases that can make your voice super low because they're heavier than air. I believe hydrogen has the same effect voice wise as helium, but I wouldn't recommend experimenting with that gas unless you know you're fire proof.
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2019-03-17, 03:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums.
I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that. -- ChubbyRain
Current Design Project: Legacy, a game of masters and apprentices for two players and a GM.
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2019-03-17, 04:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2013
- Location
- Bristol, UK
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
The end of what Son? The story? There is no end. There's just the point where the storytellers stop talking.
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2019-03-17, 07:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Now that I think about it, there is an additional danger concerning heavier gases in that they will be more dificult to breath out when you are standing. Unless you spend longer time breathing heavily or change your orientation, they might linger on the bottom of your lungs for quite a while.
In a war it doesn't matter who's right, only who's left.
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2019-03-17, 08:01 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Location
- Richmond, VA
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.
Number of times Roland St. Jude has sworn revenge upon me: 2
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2019-03-17, 09:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums.
I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that. -- ChubbyRain
Current Design Project: Legacy, a game of masters and apprentices for two players and a GM.
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2019-03-17, 10:35 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
- Location
- Montreal
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
If you replaced all the nitrogen of the atmosphere by helium, would it be both survivable and hilarious?
Oxygen concentration is left untouched
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2019-03-17, 10:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Location
- Richmond, VA
- Gender
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.
Number of times Roland St. Jude has sworn revenge upon me: 2
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2019-03-17, 10:52 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2013
- Location
- Bristol, UK
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
The end of what Son? The story? There is no end. There's just the point where the storytellers stop talking.
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2019-03-18, 02:12 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Gender
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2019-03-18, 03:24 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2006
- Location
- Germany
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
Hydrogen is not a metal and does nothing special in water. Maybe you remember hydrogen embrittlement, where hydrogen atoms diffuse into metal and reduce its toughness?
I remember some science show for kids where they showed the effect of both helium and a heavy gas on the voice. The guy had to do a handstand at the end to make sure he got all the heavy stuff out. Cannot remember what gas it was, though.
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2019-03-18, 03:50 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
In a war it doesn't matter who's right, only who's left.
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2019-03-18, 12:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: Why Is Helium Make Your Voice High-Pitched?
"That's a horrible idea! What time?"
T-Shirt given to me by a good friend.. "in fairness, I was unsupervised at the time".