Acoustics
Acoustics is a branch of
physics that studies
sound, namely 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.
...[A]coustics 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.Origins in Acoustics. F.V. Hunt. Yale University Press, 1978
The following are the main sub-disciplines of acoustics. ()
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Acoustical measurements and instrumentation.
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Acoustic signal processing.
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Aeroacoustics is the study of aerodynamic
sound, generated when a fluid flow interacts with a solid surface or with another flow. It has particular application to
aeronautics, examples being the study of sound made by flying 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.
*
Environmental noise is the study of the sound propagation in the human environment,
noise health effects and noise mitigation analysis.
*
Psychological acoustics is the study of how people react to sound,
hearing,
perception, and
localization.
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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,
sonoluminescence (the emission of light by bubbles in a liquid excited by sound) and
thermoacoustics (the interaction of sound and heat).
*
Speech communication is the study of how
speech is produced, the analysis of speech signals and the properties of speech transmission, storage, recognition and enhancement.
*
Structural acoustics and vibration is the study of how sound and mechanical structures interact; for example, the transmission of sound through walls and the
radiation of sound from
vehicle panels.
*
Transduction is the study of how sound is generated and measured by
loudspeakers,
microphones,
sonar projectors,
hydrophones,
ultrasonic transducers and
sensors.
*
Ultrasonics is the study of high
frequency sound, beyond the range of human hearing.
*
Musical acoustics is the study of the physics of
musical instruments.
*
Underwater acoustics is the study of the
propagation of sound in the
oceans. Closely associated with
sonar research and development.
*
Sound*
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Newborn Test
* F.V. Hunt,
Origins in Acoustics, Yale University Press, 1978
