Helmholtz theorized thousands of basilar fibres act as tuned resonators

Evidence

According to [Helmholtz’s] theory, there are in the basilar membrane of the human ear several thousand fibres, each of which is set in sympathetic vibration by a vibratory motion of a certain definite period. These fibres are connected with the constituent filaments of the auditory nerve, and by them the various simple pendular motions which are singled out from the complex vibratory motions, excited by most sonorous bodies, are transmitted to the brain, where they are translated into the sensation we call sound. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1989

Categorization

• DEFINE: Frames Helmholtz’s classic ‘place’ theory of hearing — basilar fibres as Fourier-like analyzers decomposing complex sounds.
• XREF: This is the classical formulation later overturned by von Békésy’s traveling-wave findings; connects to modern cochlear tonotopy.