The Science and Applications of AcousticsThe science of acoustics deals with the creation of sound, sound transmission through solids, and the effects of sound on both inert and living materials. As a mechanicaleffect,soundisessentiallythepassageofpressure?uctuationsthrough matter as the result of vibrational forces acting on that medium. Sound possesses the attributes of wave phenomena, as do light and radio signals. But unlike its electromagnetic counterparts, sound cannot travel through a vacuum. In Sylva Sylvarumwrittenintheearlyseventeenthcentury,SirFrancisBacondeemedsound tobe“oneofthesubtlestpiecesofnature,”buthecomplained,“thenatureofsound in general hath been super?cially observed. ” His accusation of super?ciality from the perspective of the modern viewpoint was justi?ed for his time, not only for acoustics, but also for nearly all branches of physical science. Frederick V. Hunt (1905–1967), one of America’s greatest acoustical pioneers, pointed out that “the seeds of analytical self-consciousness were already there, however, and Bacon’s libelagainstacousticswaseventuallydischargedthroughthe?oweringofaclearer comprehension of the physical nature of sound. ” Modern acoustics is vastly different from the ?eld that existed in Bacon’s time and even 20 years ago. It has grown to encompass the realm of ultrasonics and infrasonics in addition to the audio range, as the result of applications in mate- als science, medicine, dentistry, oceanology, marine navigation, communications, petroleum and mineral prospecting, industrial processes, music and voice synt- sis,animalbioacoustics,andnoisecancellation. Improvementsarestillbeingmade in the older domains of music and voice reproduction, audiometry, psychoaco- tics, speech analysis, and environmental noise control. |
Contents
A Capsule History of Acoustics | 1 |
Fundamentals of Acoustics | 13 |
Sound Wave Propagation and Characteristics | 31 |
Vibrating Strings | 71 |
Vibrating Bars | 89 |
Membrane and Plates | 111 |
Pipes Waveguides and Resonators | 131 |
Acoustic Analogs Ducts and Filters | 151 |
Machinery Noise Control | 357 |
Underwater Acoustics | 409 |
Ultrasonics | 443 |
Commercial and Medical Ultrasound Applications | 479 |
Music and Musical Instruments | 509 |
Sound Reproduction | 569 |
Vibration and Vibration Control | 585 |
Nonlinear Acoustics | 617 |
SoundMeasuring Instrumentation | 173 |
Physiology of Hearing and Psychoacoustics | 213 |
Architectural Acoustics | 243 |
Walls Enclosures and Barriers | 281 |
Criteria and Regulations for Noise Control | 319 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
A-weighted absorption acoustic energy acoustic impedance Acoustical Society amplifier amplitude applied attenuation average boundary conditions cavitation cochlea coefficient constant constitutes curves damping dB(A decibels denotes density determined direction displacement echo effect electrical Equation Example Problem field filter flow fluid force function fundamental frequency gear given harmonic hearing Helmholtz resonator hydrophone impedance instruments intensity length longitudinal waves loudspeaker materials measured mechanical medium membrane meter microphone mode Noise Control noise level normal occurs octave octave band output parameters piezoelectric pipe propagation pulse radiation range ratio reed reflected represents resonant frequency result reverberation shown in Figure signal Society of America solution sonar sound level sound power level sound pressure level sound waves string surface target temperature tone transducer transmission loss ultrasonic ultrasound velocity vibration voltage wall wavelength zero дх