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Acoustics is a branch of physics and is study of sound, mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician. The application of acoustics in technology is called acoustical engineering. There is often much overlap and interaction between the interests of acousticians and acoustical engineers."... acoustics is characterized by its reliance on combinations of physical principles drawn from other sources; and that the primary task of modern physical acoustics is to effect a fusion of the principles normally adhering to other sciences into a coherent basis for understanding, measuring, controlling, and using the whole gamut of vibrational phenomena in any material medium." Origins in Acoustics. F.V. Hunt. Yale University Press, 1978
The main sub-disciplines of acoustics are
- Aeroacoustics is the study of how sound and gas flow interact and has particular application to aeronautics, examples being the study of sound made by jets and the physics of shock waves (sonic booms).
- Architectural Acoustics is the study of how sound and buildings interact including the behavior of sound in concert halls and auditoriums but also in office buildings, factories and homes.
- Bioacoustics is the study of the use of sound by animals such as whales, dolphins and bats.
- Biomedical Acoustics is the study of the use of sound in medicine, for example the use of ultrasound for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
- Psychoacoustics is the study of how people react to sound, hearing, perception, and localizationSound localization is a listener's ability to identify the location of origin of a detected sound or the methods in acoustical engineering to simulate the placement of an auditory cue in a virtual 3D space (see binaural recording). There are two general m.
- Physiological Acoustics is the study of the mechanical, electrical and biochemical function of hearing in living organisms.
- Physical Acoustics is the study of the detailed interaction of sound with materials and fluids and includes, for example, sonoluminescenceSonoluminescence is the emission of short bursts of light from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound. History The effect was first discovered at the University of Cologne in 1934 as a result of work on sonar. Frenzel and H. Schultes put an u (the emission of light by bubbles in a liquid excited by sound ) and thermoacousticsThermoacoustics is the use of sound waves to affect temperature. Practical uses involve rapid acoustical shocks to produce cooling, as might be employed in a refrigerator. Thermoacoustic condensors might someday replace ozone-depleting refrigerants in cur (the interaction of sound and heat).
- Speech Communication is the study of how speechSpeech (n. an oral presentation by one person to a group (or sometimes just an individual); closely related terms include: Conversation (infomal speech by more than one person on a topic), Debate (formal communication between two groups holding opposing v is produced, the analysis of speech signals and the properties of speech transmission, storage, recognition and enhancement.
- Vibration Acoustics Structural Acoustics and Vibration is the study of how sound and mechanical structures interact and includes the transmission of sound through walls and the radiation of soundRadiation of sound should not be confused with propagation of sound. Radiation is the process by which energy is transferred from one form, i. structural vibration, turbulent flow into a propagating acoustic wave. Succinctly, radiation of sound is caused from vehicleVehicles are non-living means for transportation. They are most often man-made ( automobiles, motorcycles, trains, ships, aircraft), but also non-man-made means for transportations can be called vehicles, including icebergs and floating tree trunks. Vehic panels.
- Underwater Acoustics is the study of the propagation of sound in the oceans.
- Acoustic Engineering is the study of how sound is generated and measured by loudspeakers, microphones, sonar projector s, hydrophones, ultrasonic transducer s, sensors, Electro Acoustics , and all other topics on this list. (see external links)
A sound wave is characterized by its speed, its wavelength and its amplitude. The speed of sound depends on the medium through which the sound travels and also depends on temperature and not on the air pressure. The speed of sound is about 340 m/s in air and 1500 m/s in water. The wavelength is the distance from one wave peak to the next. The wavelength, of a sound wave is related to the speed of sound and its frequency by
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