[sdiy] The eardrum and brownian motion

[Grant Richter]

I have been doing additional research on the physical structure of the ear.

According to one source, the force amplification performed by the stirrup,
anvil bone lever, allows the eardrum to detect physical motion equivalent to
the diameter of a single air molecule.

If this is the case, is it possible to calculate the effect of random
thermal effects (Brownian motion) at the interface of the eardrum and air?

My thinking is that all sound is "dithered" by the Brownian motion of the
air itself. Is it possible this is why digital mastering software needs to
add noise back into a noiseless signal in order to improve the sound?

I am aware of the effect of dithering on frequency bin spacing. I am curious
if there could be another subtle effect at work (or play ;^)

Thank you for any comments or feedback.