Carl's question about the basilar membrane

re: ... what stumps me is how a given frequency excites only a small
portion of the membrane.

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sort of...
The basilar membrane is shaped like an elongated triangle.
Different areas resonate at different frequencies, just as piano strings
of different lengths resonate at different frequencies. So, when a sound
wave travels down the basilar membrane, the membrane gets most excited @
spots which resonate @ the frequency of the sound wave, or any of its
partials.

This explanation is the basis for the place theory of pitch perception,
which, as you probably know, is not the whole story.


-Jesse