Final answer:
Distance sound perception is based on loudness levels of familiar sounds and the acoustic differences between direct and indirect sound waves. Pitch perception is based on frequency, allowing us to distinguish between different sounds, such as musical notes. Loudness, related to sound intensity, combined with binaural cues helps in localizing sound sources and estimating their distance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Our distance sound perception is mostly based off of loudness levels of familiar sounds and differences in direct vs. indirect sound waves. The ability to discern distance through sound relies significantly on a combination of our understanding of familiar sounds and their expected volume, combined with the acoustic differences we perceive between sounds that reach our ears directly versus those that arrive after reflecting off other surfaces.
The perception of frequency is known as pitch. High-frequency sound waves are associated with high-pitched sounds, while low-frequency waves are connected to low-pitched sounds. Our ears are capable of detecting pitch differences as small as 0.3%, helping us discern between two sounds that are close in frequency, such as 500.0 Hz and 501.5 Hz. This sensitivity to pitch is not greatly influenced by the sound's intensity or loudness. In musical terms, pitch is used to identify specific notes, which when combined, constitute music. An example of this is the ability to recognize an A-sharp or C note without any point of reference, known as perfect pitch, a rare skill among people.
In addition to pitch, our perception of sound's intensity is referred to as loudness. Loudness helps us estimate the distance of sound sources due to the attenuation of sound waves as they travel through the air. To accurately localise a sound source in space, our brains use binaural cues, such as interaural level differences and interaural timing differences.