Basic Terminology and definitions
Sound
Sound is a vibration in an elastic medium such as air, water, most building material and earth
Hearing
Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations changes in the pressure of the surrounding medium through time
logarithmic dependence of hearing on stimulus
Amplitude
Amplitude is the size of the vibration, and this determines how loud the sound is. larger vibrations make a louder sound.
Amplitude is important when balancing and controlling the loudness of sounds, such as with the volume control on your music player.
Frequency
Frequency is the speed of the vibration, and this determines the pitch of the sound.
Frequency is measured as the number of wave cycles that occur in one second. The unit of frequency measurement is Hertz (Hz for short).
Particle Velocity
Velocity of a particle in a medium as it transmits a wave, in sound it is longitudinal wave of pressure disturbance that travels through a medium
Sound Power
Sound power is the energy rate – the energy of sound per unit of time measured in Watts (W )
I = p \ v
Intensity (I) in W/m2
Pressure (p) in Pascal Pa
Particle Velocity (v) in m/s
Sound Pressure
Sound pressure or acoustic pressure is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average, or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure, caused by a sound wave.
Sound Intensity
Sound intensity also known as acoustic intensity is defined as the power carried by sound waves per unit area
P = AI
Power (P) in W
Area (A) in m2
Intensity (I) in W/m2
Decibel
In order to express levels of sound meaningfully in numbers that are more manageable, a logarithmic scale is used, rather than a linear one. This scale is the decibel scale.
Zero decibels (0 dB) is the quietest sound audible to a healthy human ear.
L = Sound intensity level (dB);
I = Measured sound intensity (Wm-2); and
I0 = Standard sound intensity (Wm-2), the softest sound intensity that human
ear can hear.
The standard reference of I0 is 10-12 Wm-2.
Loundness
Loudness is the way in which we perceive amplitude. A particular change in amplitude is not necessarily perceived as being a proportionate change in loudness. That is because our perception of loudness is influenced by both the frequency and quality of a sound(timbre,लय) .
loundness is measured in unit of Phon
Phon is loundness experienced by listener
Note (from “notation”)
स्वर Note is a certain frequency that you write or read.
Tone
सुर Tone is a certain frequency that you hear
Pitch
स्वरमान Pitch is a certain frequency that you sing or play , The sensation of a frequency is commonly referred to as the pitch of a sound. A high pitch sound corresponds to a high frequency sound wave and a low pitch sound corresponds to a low frequency sound wave
Timbre
लय Timbre is a certain quality (or color) of the tone, depending on the instrument and how you play/sing the tone.
Sound propagation
Sound propagates, or travels through air, in waves. The waves are formed when the air molecules closest to the vibration source are pushed into their neighbors, and those neighboring molecules push against their neighbors, and so on.
Each individual air molecule barely moves. Each molecule is pressed forward, and compressed, just enough to bump its neighbor and start, or continue, a chain reaction. There is just enough to transfer its energy and momentum to the next molecule.
Behavior of sound in enclosed spaces
Architectural Acoustics (AA)
Architectural Acoustics (AA) can be defined as the science, study and application of acoustic principles as they are implemented inside a building or structure. Architectural Acoustics correlates the countless frequencies and wavelengths of audible sound with the complexities of architectural geometry, and the influences of multiple finish materials. Together, these factors are nearly impossible to compute, using manual methods
Sound wave modeling
Sound travels through air in longitudinal waves. While these waves may not be too difficult to visualize at the most basic level, their behavior can be quite difficult to accurately calculate and predict in three-dimensional space.
An enclosed space is a room or area bounded on every of its sides. The materials for enclosure may be classified into two:
- Those that allow sound rays to pass through and
- Those that do not allow sound rays to pass through
1.Sound absorbed in the air, also applicable to reflected sound.
2.Sound reflected from the wall surface.
3.Sound absorbed at the wall surface or its surface finish.
4.Sound conducted by the wall to other parts of the structure.
5.Sound emitted by resonance of the wall in both directions.
6.Sound inter-reflected between bounding surfaces, setting up reverberation.
7.Resonance of the enclosed volume of air by direct cross reflection
On encountering barriers posed by the enclosure, sound waves are likely to behave in the following ways:
- Reflection
- Absorption
- Refraction
- Diffusion
- Diffraction
- Transmission
- Reverberation and Echo
