ACOUSTICS: science of effects of sound on enclosed space

SOUND: human ear’s response to pressure fluctuations caused by vibration

Physical Qualities of Sound
- Frequency (f): number of sound ripples per unit time
o unit = cycles/sec or Hertz
- Speed (c): 344 m/sec, does not vary with frequency of sound or loudness
- Wavelength (λ): C = f λ
o C = speed in m/time
o f = frequency in cycles/time
o λ = meters
- Intensity: amount of sound power, unit = w/m2
Characteristics of Sound
- Loudness: dB (sounds intensity level)
- Pitch: frequency perceived by human ear
ACOUSTICAL DEFECTS
- Prolonged Reverberation: due to reflective surfaces and/or large space
volume
- Echo: reflection of original sound
- Resonance: reinforcement of sound frequency due to sympathetic vibrations
- Flutter Echo: rapid but repetitive succession of sounds
- Undue Focusing: caused by concave surfaces

DEAD ROOM: room containing an unusually amount of sound absorption

DECIBEL (dB): a unit of measurement for sound pressure level, sound intensity level or
sound power level
DIFFRACTION: a change in the direction of propagation of sound as a result of
bending caused by a barrier in the path of a sound wave
INFRASONIC: a sound that is below the human audible frequency, below 20 Hz
LIVE ROOM: a room containing an unusually small amount of sound absorption
LOUDNESS: an auditory sensation that depends on sound pressure level and the
frequency of sound
PITCH: a listener’s perception of the frequency of a pure tone
RESONANCE: the relatively large amplitude of vibration produced when the frequency
of the source of sound is equal to the natural frequency of a room
SABIN: a unit of measure of sound absorption
ULTRASONIC: beyond the threshold of pain
SOUND INTENSITY: the average rate of sound energy flow through a unit area in a
given direction
SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL OR SOUND INTENSITY LEVEL: a quantity expressed in decibels of
airborne sound
SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS (STC): a single number rating of the sound insulation
rating of a partition
STRUCTURE-BORNED SOUND: sound propagated through a solid structure
WAVELENGTH: distance between two adjacent compressions or rarefactions in a
sound wave
WHITENOISE: a noise whose energy is uniform over a wide range of frequencies. This is
analogous to the term “white light”, which consists of almost equal amount of light of
different wavelength (colors). A white noise sounds hissy.