Final answer:
Auscultation is the act of listening to the sounds produced while tapping the patient with fingers. It is used to assess the state of a patient's heart and can help detect valve and septal disorders.
Step-by-step explanation:
The act of listening to the sounds produced while tapping the patient with fingers is called auscultation. It is one of the most useful diagnostic tools in medicine and is used to assess the state of a patient's heart, among other things. Auscultation is performed using a stethoscope, and abnormal heart sounds can indicate valve and septal disorders.