Human Sensory Perceptions - What is NOW

Present Experience/Consciousness/Awareness

Sight

Light (photons, Electro magnetic radiation) enters our eyes

through the pupil, the light is focused by the lens to the back
of our eye; the retina which contains cones, rods and
ganglion cells, these send signals to the back of the brain
(occipital lobe) via the optic nerve. The occipital lobe/visual
cortex generates the image based on the signal it receives.

Our perception of sight:

Colour/Wavelength of light is detected by the 6 million cones

(We have 3 types, trichromacy). The S M L cones (S short-
red; sensitivity peaking at 420-440 nm, M medium-green;
sensitivity peaking at 534-545 nm, L long-blue; sensitivity
peaking at 564-580 nm) work together to produce the
signals for colour.

Brightness/Luminous Intensity of light is detected by the 120

million rods (sensitivity peaking at 498 nm, halfway between

Circadian Rhythm regulating our natural sleep/awake cycle

dependent on sunlight with melatonin (pineal gland).

Therefore sight is Colour (red, green etc) and Brightness

(dark night, cloudy day, summers day etc), which are really
2-3 qualities of light that we perceive. Sight is therefore 2-3
senses.
Sound

Sound (Vibrations through air, water, walls, ground etc.

Vibrations through a `medium gas, liquid or solid).
Sound Vibrations (e.g. rapid compression (high pressure)
and rarefaction (stretching, low pressure) of the air -
pressure/force on air is changing) are detected, focused and
directed into our heads by our outer ears (pinna) and the
ear canal (like a funnel).
At the end of the ear canal is the eardrum which moves
back and forth (vibrates). The vibrations of the eardrum are
amplified twenty fold (made 20x louder/stronger) by a
chain of 3 bones, the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup
which carry the vibrations from the eardrum to the cochlea
(spiral shell).
The cochlea contains 2 windows (openings) the oval
window and the round window.
The vibrations carried by the 3 bones are carried into the
cochlea through the oval window.
The cochlea is filled with fluid, the fluid is able to carry the
vibrations around and into the centre of the spiral shaped
cochlea, then carries the vibrations spiralling out again
(there is a separate in spiral and out spiral wrapped around
each other - this forms the snail shell cochlea). The
vibrations (changes in pressure) in the cochlea fluid disturbs
thousands of hair cells (stereo-cilia), causing them to
become depolarised (less negatively charged) releasing
neurotransmitters (chemicals) to the auditory nerve.
The auditory nerve connects the ear to the brain. The
auditory nerve reacts to the chemicals produced by the hair
cells in the cochlea, transmitting the chemical sound
electronically to the brain.
Our perception of sound:

Volume/Amplitude/Loudness

Pitch/Frequency

Timbre/Unique quality of instruments, voices etc that cannot

be captured by volume/pitch.