Why Does Helium Change Your Voice?
I'm pretty sure we've all heard this one. We've all sucked in helium and enjoyed the chipmunk voices that are heard as a result, but what causes the change in one's voices?
A person's normal voice is determined by several factors. The shape of the throat, mouth, lips, nasal passages, and tongue all contribute to making the sound of the voice.
Your voice starts in your larynx, or voice box, that has your vocal cords. The folded membranes in the cords vibrate when air passes over them and the vibrations resonate throughout, creating a sound, the voice.
The air one breathes is mostly made up of oxygen and nitrogen. Helium is much less dense than such gases. Due to the lower density, sound travels up to twice as fast as it does through other gases. When you inhale helium, the air moves over the vocal cords much faster than oxygen and nitrogen. This makes the vocal tract more prone to high-frequency sounds, thus changing the voice.
Citations
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-helium-change-the-sound-of-your-voice
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-inhaling-helium/
Your voice starts in your larynx, or voice box, that has your vocal cords. The folded membranes in the cords vibrate when air passes over them and the vibrations resonate throughout, creating a sound, the voice.
The air one breathes is mostly made up of oxygen and nitrogen. Helium is much less dense than such gases. Due to the lower density, sound travels up to twice as fast as it does through other gases. When you inhale helium, the air moves over the vocal cords much faster than oxygen and nitrogen. This makes the vocal tract more prone to high-frequency sounds, thus changing the voice.
Citations
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-helium-change-the-sound-of-your-voice
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-inhaling-helium/
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