Cochlear modelling faces a tradeoff between spatial accuracy and computational cost

Evidence

We saw earlier that the vibration of the stapes that is attached to the oval window generates pressure waves in the fluid inside the cochlea. Since these waves resonate at frequency-specific positions along the basilar membrane, accurate modelling of this phenomenon requires a model consisting of spatially distributed elements. Typically, one-dimensional (1D) travelling wave models are used, but 2D and 3D models may also be used at the expense of increased computational complexity. One option is, for instance, to use a finite element method (FEM) to simulate the phenomenon in the frequency domain, but this provides only a rough approximation, assuming the underlying system to be linear and time-invariant. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1634

Categorization

• XREF: Transmission-line electrical-equivalent modelling echoes Milgrom’s and other accounts where a physical system gets mapped onto an analogous formal structure.