Acoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases,
liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who
works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics
technology may be called an acoustical engineer. The application of acoustics is present in almost all
aspects of modern society with the most obvious being the audio and noise control industries.

Hearing is one of the most crucial means of survival in the animal world, and speech is one of the most
distinctive characteristics of human development and culture. Accordingly, the science of acoustics
spreads across many facets of human society—music, medicine, architecture, industrial production,
warfare and more. Likewise, animal species such as songbirds and frogs use sound and hearing as a key
element of mating rituals or marking territories. Art, craft, science and technology have provoked one
another to advance the whole, as in many other fields of knowledge. Robert Bruce Lindsay's 'Wheel of
Acoustics' is a well accepted overview of the various fields in acoustics.

The word "acoustic" is derived from the Greek word ἀκουστικός (akoustikos), meaning "of or for hearing,
ready to hear" and that from ἀκουστός (akoustos), "heard, audible", which in turn derives from the
verb ἀκούω (akouo), "I hear".

The Latin synonym is "sonic", after which the term sonics used to be a synonym for acoustics[5] and later
a branch of acoustics. Frequencies above and below the audible range are called "ultrasonic" and
"infrasonic", respectively.

Architectural acoustics:

Architectural acoustics (also known as room acoustics and building acoustics) is the science and
engineering of achieving a good sound within a building and is a branch of acoustical engineering. The
first application of modern scientific methods to architectural acoustics was carried out by Wallace
Sabine in the Fogg Museum lecture room who then applied his new found knowledge to the design
of Symphony Hall, Boston.

Architectural acoustics can be about achieving good speech intelligibility in a theatre, restaurant or
railway station, enhancing the quality of music in a concert hall or recording studio, or suppressing noise
to make offices and homes more productive and pleasant places to work and live in. Architectural
acoustic design is usually done by acoustic consultants.

The typical sound paths are ceilings, room partitions, acoustic ceiling panels (such as wood dropped
ceiling panels), doors, windows, flanking, ducting and other penetrations. Technical solutions depend on
the source of the noise and the path of acoustic transmission, for example noise by steps or noise by (air,
water) flow vibrations. An example would be providing suitable party wall design in an apartment
complex to minimize the mutual disturbance due to noise by residents in adjacent apartments.
There are three ways to improve workplace acoustics and solve workplace sound problems – the ABCs.

 A = Absorb (via drapes, carpets, ceiling tiles, etc.)

 B = Block (via panels, walls, floors, ceilings and layout)

 C = Cover-up (via sound masking)

While all three of these are recommended to achieve optimal results, C = Cover-up by increasing
background sound produces the most dramatic improvement in speech privacy – with the least disruption
and typically the lowest cost.

MECHANICAL NOISE GENERATORS:

 ACMV (air conditioning and mechanical ventilation) systems in buildings,

termed HVAC in North America

 Elevators

 Electrical generators positioned within or attached to a building

 Any other building service infrastructure component that emits sound.

Inadequate control may lead to elevated sound levels within the space which can be annoying
and reduce speech intelligibility. Typical improvements are vibration isolation of mechanical
equipment, and sound traps in ductwork. Sound masking can also be created by adjusting HVAC
noise to a predetermined level.
Soundproofing is any means of reducing the sound pressure with respect to a
specified sound source and receptor. There are several basic approaches to reducing sound:
increasing the distance between source and receiver, using noise barriers to reflect or absorb the
energy of the sound waves, using damping structures such as sound baffles, or using active anti
noise sound generators.
Two distinct soundproofing problems may need to be considered when designing acoustic
treatments - to improve the sound within a room (See anechoic chamber), and reduce sound
leakage to/from adjacent rooms or outdoors. Acoustic quieting, noise mitigation, and noise
control can be used to limit unwanted noise. Soundproofing can suppress unwanted indirect
sound waves such as reflections that cause echoes and resonances that cause reverberation.
Soundproofing can reduce the transmission of unwanted direct sound waves from the source to
an involuntary listener through the use of distance and intervening objects in the sound path.
(An anechoic chamber ("an-echoic" meaning non-reflective, non-echoing or echo-free) is a
room designed to completely absorb reflections of either sound or electro magnetic waves.)