ACOUSTICS

ACOUSTIC- is the interdisciplinary science

that deals with the study of all mechanical
waves, gases, liquids and solids including
vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound.
ACOUSTICIAN- a scientist who works in the
field of acoustical engineering, acoustics or
audio engineering.
The acoustic of a space refers to its
structural features which determines how
well you can hear music or speech in it.

Sound theory
Sound- is a sequence of waves
pressure that propagates through
compressible media such as air or
water , most building materials and
earth.
Medium matter that support sound.
Sound waves can be Reflected,
Refracted, or Attenuated by the
medium.

 Perception of sound- the perception of sound

in any organism is limited to a certain
comprehension range and frequencies for
human beings, hearing is normally limited to
frequencies between 20hertz to 20,000 hertz
Although these limits are not definite, other
species have a different range of hearing. For
ex. Dogs can perceive vibrations higher than
20 khz but are deaf to anything below 40 hz.

Properties of Sound

Frequency
Wavelenght
Wavenumber
Amplitude
Sound pressure
Sound intensity
Speed of sound
direction

Vibration of Particles in Air

Amplitude maximum displacement during
vibration
Pressure is a force per unit area.
Cycle- a full circuit by a displaced particle,
vibrating particle moves to and fro.
Period- time required for one complete cycle.
Frequency of vibration-the number of complete
cycles per second
Frequency-rate of repetition of periodic events
measured in cycles per second the unit of which
is called Hertz hz.

Velocity of Propagation
It is the measure of how fast a signal
travels over time or the speed
transmitted signal as compared to
the speed of light.
Sound propagation velocity in
various mediums.

 Wavelength is the distance a sound travels

during one cycle of vibration.
Wave form of a sound wave describes, by
means of a graphical presentation,the precise
nature of a complete to and fro oscillation of the
vibrating particles in a soundfield.
Sound level is the measure of the strength of
sound. Units are decibles and usually measured
with db meter.
Decibel is a unit of measurement which is used
to indicate how loud a sound is db.

 Sound pressure
Sound intensity in a specified direction
at a point in a sound field through a unit
area at that point, the unit area being
perpindular to the specified direction.

Sound magnitude

RESONANCE
RESONANCE is the tendency of a system to
oscillate at maximum amplitude at certain
certain frequencies.
In music resonance is the characteristic of
sound waves vibrating in either an open air or
within a closed structure or enclosed structure
which can include a musical instrument.
OSCILLATE if an objects oscillates it move
repeatedly from one position to another and
back again or it keeps getting bigger and
smaller.

Sound fields in an enclosed

space:
When a sound propagated in an enclosed
space reaches a wall or other large
obstruction, part is reflected and part is
absorbed.
FREE FIELD CONDITION this condition
occurs when sound waves are free from
influence of reflective surfaces. The sound
at any point in a room is then the
combination of direct sound from walls
and other obstructions.

 In Free field condition , if the

reflections are so large that the
sound level becomes uniform
throughout the room, the field within
the room is termed a diffused one,
Diffused field is created.
DIFFUSED FIELD is composed of a
Near field near a source, Free field at
a distance and a Reverberant field
near the walls.

SPEED OF SOUND
Is the distance travelled during a unit
of time by a sound wave propagating
through an elastic medium. In dry air
at 20 deg.c 68 deg.f
The speed of sound is 343.2 mps or
1,126 ft. per second, this is 1,236
km.per hour. 1 km in 3 seconds or
approximately 1 mile in five seconds.

Sound pressure
Sound Pressure or acoustic pressure is the local
pressure deviation from the ambient
atmospheric pressure, caused by a sound wave.
In air sound pressure can be measured using a
microphone and in water by a hydrophone.
Measure of a force per unit area.
SPL Sound pressure level is normally abbreviated
as SPL, is calculated in decibels or db. Note that
db is a relative term. It can refer to almost
anything , however the most known is SPL.

The rate of emission

of acoustical energy
from most sources of
Acoustical
power
sound, and the
corresponding
pressures in their
resulting sound
fields, are very small.
For example , the
average acoustical
power radiated by a
person speaking in
an auditorium is of
the order of twenty
five to fifty
microwatts , a
microwatt is a one
million of a watt. It
would require
therefore no fewer
than fifteen million
such speakers to
generate a single

The approximate Peak Sound

Power Output of conversation
Speech and of several musical
instruments.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOUND

PRESSURE AND VOLUME.
The human hears pressure , not volume. The
difference between sound pressure and
volume is that the closer that to the source of
the sound, the more pressure you will hear.
The farther away you get from the source of
sound , the pressure will be less, but the
volume will be the same.
At the top of the faucet where the water
comes out, there is more pressure than at the
bottom, but the volume of water is the same.

Sound Absorption

SOUND INTENSITY
The sound intensity in a specified direction at a
point in a sound field is defined as the rate of the
flow of sound energy through a unit area at that
point, the unit area being perpendicular to the
specified direction.
Sound intensity is usually expressed in watts per
square centimeter.
To compute a sound intensity at any distance
from the source is expressed as:
I=P/a
I= sound intensity in w/cm2 or w/m2
P= acoustic power in watts
A= area in cm2

 We shall calculate the intensity from the bell of a

clarinet. For low frequency tones , the clarinet
approximates a point source; that is it radiates sound
nearly uniformly in all directions.note: sound waves
from a perfect point source, which is far from any
reflecting surface are spherical.) let us assume that the
total power output W for a sustained tone from the
clarinet is 0.002 watt. Since the area S of a sphere is
100 centimeters in radius is 120,600 square
centimeters.thus the power passing through each
square centimeter of this sphere, flowing in the
outward direction
The intensity is I=w/s

calculate
Sound intensity in a specified
direction at a point in a sound field
through a unit area at that point, the
unit area being perpendicular to the
specified direction.
sound intensity at any distance is
expressed as I= P/A

Inverse Square Law

Since the area of a sphere increases as the square of
its radius, we note that the intensity of free sound
waves originating from a point source diminishes
inversely as the square of the distance from the
source.
Since the sound radiates freely in all directions. I=
The intensities at distances r1 and r2 from the source
stand in the ratio of :
INVERSE SQUARE LAW
Which is the formula for the classic Inverse Square
Law stating that the intensity is inversely
proportional to the distance from the source.

Intensity level changes

The word level indicates a quantity relative to a
base quantity. Intensity level is the ratio between
a given intensity and a base intensity.
Example: Two sound source produce intensity
levels of fifty and 60 db respectively at a point.
When functioning simultaneously , what is the
total sound intensity level?
By solving using logarithmic formulas the total
intensity level is 60.4 db. A fraction larger than
the original 60 db. Of the stronger sound.

Ex.2
Assume two noise signals of 60 db
each. What is the combined strength
in decibels.
) using the same formula method)
Intensity level is equals to 3, this
answer gives us extremely important
fact that doubling a signal intensity
raises level by 3db.
Similarly quadrupling a signals
intensity level raises the received

To summarize
Intensity level increases 3db with
every doubling of power and
decreases 6db with every doubling of
distance:
Copy illustration b:

Sound Absorption
Sound is absorbed by a mechanism which
converts the sound into other forms of
energy and ultimately into heat.
Most manufactured materials depends
largely on their porosity for their absorptivity.
If the material is sufficiently porous and of
approximate thickness, as much as ninety
five percent of the energy of an incident
sound wave may be absorbed in this
manner.

Mechanics of Absorption
Absorption as acoustic phenomenon
Fig.a Action of an incoming sound
wave striking a heavy barrier . Much
of the energy is reflected, some is
absorbed, and a little is
transmitted.draw a
Fig.b Action of acoustic absorptive
material alone. Very little energy is
reflected, some is absorbed, and
most is transmitted.

Mechanics of Absorption
Fig.c When absorbent material is
applied to heavy wall , it traps
sound preventing reflection , while
wall mass acts to reduce
transmission.

Absorption
The rate which sound is absorbed in a room is a
prime factor in reducing noise and controlling
reverberation. All materials used in construction of
buildings absorbed some sounds, but proper
acoustical control often requires the use of materials
that have been especially designed to function
primarily as sound absorbs.
Such materials are popularly known as acoustical
materials.
It is always necessary to choose material with
proper acoustical characteristics, but this is not
enough. All other physical and decorative properties
of a material must be given proper attention.

The Architect must raise each question in

choosing the right absorptive material.

is it combustible or fire resistant?

how much will it reflect?
what about its structural strength?
.absorption of water, and atrraction for vermin
rats?
Can its application be entrusted to the
average journeyman?
What are its decorative possibilities?
How much does the material cost?
Will it be expensive to install and maintain?

Human Response to Sound

Human ear
The hearing mechanism can be divided into
three parts; the External Ear, the Middle and
the Inner ear.
External ear consist of an external appendage,
called the pinna, and the ear canal. The outer
ear is funnel shaped and serves as a sound
gathering input terminal to the auditory
system. Sound energy travels through the
auditory canal and sets in motion the
components of the middle ear.

 Middle ear contains three tiny

bones , hammer, anvil and stirrup.
This tiny bones constitutes a lever
mechanism that communicates the
vibration of the drum to the
membrane of the oval window ,
which is the entrance to the inner
ear.

 INNER EAR
Cochlea snail shaped part of the ear
that contains the sensory organ of
hearing.
Semi circular canals 3 u shape
canals of the vestibular.
Eustachian tube leads to the
pharynx; it equalizes pressure of
either sides of tympanic membrane.