Final answer:
Humans can hear a range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and the wavelength for a 20,000 Hz frequency is approximately 0.0172 meters. The human auditory system has a keen relative pitch, allowing us to discern changes in frequency as small as 1 Hz.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hearing is the perception of sound and humans have the ability to detect a range of frequencies from approximately 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The wavelength of a sound wave can be calculated using the formula λ = v/f, where λ is the wavelength, v is the speed of sound, and f is the frequency. Considering the speed of sound in air is approximately 344 m/s, the wavelength corresponding to the upper limit of human hearing (20,000 Hz) can be calculated as:
λ = 344 m/s / 20,000 Hz = 0.0172 meters
This means that the wavelength for a 20,000 Hz frequency, which is at the high end of the human audible range, is approximately 0.0172 meters. People rarely experience the highest frequencies (above 8000 Hz) in daily environments, and these frequencies are not critical for understanding conversations or music. Nonetheless, our auditory system is capable of discerning changes in frequency as small as 1 Hz, demonstrating our keen ability for relative pitch.
Regarding the actual number of frequencies we can hear at once, it's not about the number, but rather the human ear's ability to discern distinct sounds when frequencies differ by a small amount, which could be as little as 1 Hz. Thus, the number of frequencies we can perceive simultaneously is not limited to one; we can hear a complex mixture of sounds that constitute the audio environment around us.