Georg von Békésy
Hungarian-American biophysicist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Georg von Békésy (Hungarian: Békésy György, pronounced [ˈbeːkeːʃi ˈɟørɟ]; 3 June 1899 – 13 June 1972) was a Hungarian-American biophysicist.[1]
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Georg von Békésy | |
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Born | György Békésy (1899-06-03)3 June 1899 |
Died | 13 June 1972(1972-06-13) (aged 73) |
Citizenship |
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Education | University of Bern |
Known for | Cochlea |
Parents |
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Awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1961) ASA Gold Medal (1961) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Biophysics |
By using strobe photography and silver flakes as a marker, he was able to observe that the basilar membrane moves like a surface wave when stimulated by sound. Because of the structure of the cochlea and the basilar membrane, different frequencies of sound cause the maximum amplitudes of the waves to occur at different places on the basilar membrane along the coil of the cochlea.[2] High frequencies cause more vibration at the base of the cochlea while low frequencies create more vibration at the apex.[3]
He concluded that his observations showed how different sound wave frequencies are locally dispersed before exciting different nerve fibers that lead from the cochlea to the brain.
In 1961, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the function of the cochlea in the mammalian hearing organ.[4]