The Physics of Voice
The Forces and Energy in our Vocal Cords
Vocal Cords
How do Vocal Folds Differ?
Have you ever wondered why men speak in voices much lower than women? Well, that's because their vocals folds have a tendency to be about six times larger. If you've read the blog, you'd know that the greater the size of the larynx, the lower the frequency of the sound produced in the vocal folds.
The same goes for children compared to adults. That is why human voices change so drastically after puberty, because the larynx and other parts of the voice box grow. Below is a picture displaying the dimensions of vocal folds, each of which can differ in size and will change the frequency of a given individual's voice
Picture by http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=5908
The following graph illustrates how voice frequency compares between men and women, different age groups, and voices that having experienced vocal training.
Picture by http://www.ncvs.org/ncvs/tutorials/voiceprod/tutorial/changes.html
From the same website, an equation predicting the change in vocal fold size (particularly focussed on change post-adolescence) compared to frequency is provided.
