The frequency of sound waves is measured in hertz (Hz), or the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a second. Human beings can normally hear sounds with a frequency between about 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Sounds with frequencies below 20 hertz are called infrasound . Sounds with frequencies above 20,000 hertz are called ultrasound . Some other animals can hear sounds in the ultrasound range. For example, dogs can hear sounds with frequencies as high as 50,000 Hz. You may have seen special whistles that dogs but not people can hear. The whistles produce a sound with a frequency too high for the human ear to detect. Other animals can hear even higher-frequency sounds. Bats, for example, can hear sounds with frequencies higher than 100,000 Hz.
Mike saw his neighbors son playing with a whistle outside. Mike thought the whistle must be broken because the kid was blowing really hard but there was no sound coming out. The dog across the street was barking like crazy though.
Was the whistle making a sound too high or too low for Mike to hear?