Acoustics An Introduction

This definitive textbook provides students with a comprehensive introduction to acoustics. Beginning with the basic physical ideas, Acoustics balances the fundamentals with engineering aspects, applications and electroacoustics, also covering music, speech and the properties of human hearing. The concepts of acoustics are exposed and applied in: room acoustics sound insulation in buildings noise control underwater sound and ultrasound Scientifically thorough, but with mathematics kept to a minimum, Acoustics is the perfect introduction to acoustics for students at any level of mechanical, electrical or civil engineering courses and an accessible resource for architects, musicians or sound engineers requiring a technical understanding of acoustics and their applications.

Introduction. Some Facts on Vibrations. Acoustic Variables and Basic Relations. Plane Waves, Attenuation. Spherical Wave and Sound Radiation. Reflection and Refraction. Diffraction and Scattering. Sound Transmission in Pipes and Horns. Sound in Closed Spaces. Sound Waves in Isotropic Solids. Music and Speech. Human Hearing. Room Acoustics. Building Acoustics . Basics of Noise Control. Underwater Acoustics and Ultrasound. Electroacoustic Transducers. Microphones. Loudspeakers and Other Electroacoustic Sound Sources. Electroacoustic Systems.

Heinrich Kuttruff is Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Technical Acoustics at Aachen University in Germany. He is the author of Room Acoustics, also published by Taylor & Francis and now in its fourth edition.