INTRODUCTION TO

ACOUSTICS
 6.1 Definition 6.1.2 Sound

6.1 Definitions
6.1.1 Acoustics Sound is the human ear’s response
to pressure fluctuations in the air
6.2 Nature of Sound Acoustics is a science which deals caused by vibrating objects. For
with the production, control, example, a tap on the wall produces
6.3 Acoustical transmission, reception and effects sound because the tap makes a wall
Concerns in of sound in an enclosed space. vibrate. The vibrating wall produces
Architecture
pressure fluctuations in the air.
6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms Sound travels in space by a
phenomenon called wave motion.
Wave motion in air is similar to the
motion of a ripple produced by
dropping a pebble into a water pond.
 6.2 Nature of Sound

6.1 Definitions
6.2.1 Types of Sound 6.2.2 Physical Quantities
6.2.1
of Sound
6.2 Nature of Sound 1. Speech
1. FREQUENCY (f) – the
6.3 Acoustical 2. Music number of sound ripples
Concerns in generated in unit time.
Architecture
3. Noise
6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects The number of cycles that the
of Rooms air particles move back and forth
in one second in a sound wave
is called the frequency of the
wave. Its unit is cycles per
second (c/s) which is also
termed Hertz (Hz) after the
Austrian physicist Heinrich Hertz
(1857-94).
6.1 Definitions 6.2.2 Physical Quantities
of Sound
6.2 Nature of Sound

6.3 Acoustical Eight frequency bands, or octaves, are considered in room acoustics
Concerns in with the following center frequencies: 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz,
Architecture 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz and 8 kHz.

6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms
6.1 Definitions 6.2.2 Physical Quantities Frequency range for speech and
of Sound music:
6.2 Nature of Sound

6.3 Acoustical
Concerns in
Architecture

6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms
6.1 Definitions 6.2.2 Physical Quantities
of Sound
6.2 Nature of Sound
2. SPEED (c) – The speed of 3. WAVELENGTH (λ) – The
6.3 Acoustical sound in air has been wavelength and the
Concerns in measured as 344 m/sec frequency of sound are
Architecture (1,130 ft/sec). This related to each other as
corresponds to 1,240 km/hr shown in the equation
6.4 Principal
(770 mi/hr) which is below.
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms extremely small as compared
to the speed of light (300,000
km/sec). c=fλ
The speed of sound in air does
not vary with the frequency of c = speed in meters per time
sound or its loudness. Sounds f = frequency in cycles per time
at all audible frequencies, λ = meters
regardless of their loudness,
travel at the same speed.
6.1 Definitions 6.2.2 Physical Quantities
of Sound
6.2 Nature of Sound
The wavelength of sound corresponding to the center
6.3 Acoustical frequencies are as shown below:
Concerns in
Architecture FREQUENCY WAVELENGTH
6.4 Principal (ft) (m)
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms 63 18.0 5.46
125 9.0 2.75
250 4.5 1.38
500 2.3 0.69
1,000 1.1 0.34
2,000 0.6 0.17
4,000 0.3 0.09
8,000 0.15 0.04
6.1 Definitions 6.2.2 Physical Quantities
of Sound
6.2 Nature of Sound
4. INTENSITY - is defined as the amount of sound power falling
6.3 Acoustical on (or passing through, or crossing) a unit area. Since the unit
Concerns in of power is watt (W), the unit of sound intensity is watt per
Architecture square meter (W/m2).
6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects The sound intensity which is just audible, called the threshold of
of Rooms audibility, has been determined to be 10-12 W/m2 , and the intensity
that corresponds to the sensation of pain in the human ear is
approximately 10 W/m2.
 6.2.3 Characteristics of
1. LOUDNESS – is a measure
Sound of the intensity of sound and
is expressed in decibels
6.1 Definitions
(dB). It is a quantity called
6.2 Nature of Sound the sound intensity level (IL).

6.3 Acoustical
Concerns in
Architecture

6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms
 6.2.3 Characteristics of
Sound
6.1 Definitions

6.2 Nature of Sound 2. PITCH – is the frequency of sound wave perceived by the human
ear. A high-pitched sound means that it has a high frequency. The
6.3 Acoustical
female voice is slightly higher pitched than the male voice.
Concerns in
Architecture

6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects
of Rooms
 6.3 Acoustical Concerns in
Architecture
6.1 Definitions 6.3.2 Noise Control
6.2 Nature of Sound
This involves the following
6.3 Acoustical activities:
Concerns in
Architecture •the control of air-borne noise
through the insulation of sound or
6.4 Principal the shutting-out of unwanted
Acoustical Defects sounds from the outside. This
of Rooms requires a study of the sound
insulating values of walls, partitions,
doors and windows and a study of
the ventilating systems to provide a
basis for the reduction of the
transfer of unwanted sound from
one room to another;

•the control of structure-borne

noises through the isolation of
machines from the room’s or the
building’s structure.
 6.4 Principal Acoustical
Defects of Rooms
6.1 Definitions a) Prolonged Reverberation – long
reverberation time (RT) due to
6.2 Nature of Sound large amounts of highly
reflective surfaces and/or to
6.3 Acoustical large volume of space which
Concerns in will take considerable time for
Architecture
reflected sound to die out.
6.4 Principal
Acoustical Defects Effect of prolonged reverberation is
of Rooms blurring which is harmful to
both speech and music.
Reverberation time is influenced by:
• Volume of the room
• Sound absorbing
qualities of the room’s
surfaces
• Number of people and
furniture in the room
b) Echo – distinct reflection of
original sound which results
when the path of reflected
sound is 20 m (65 ft) or
more than the path of direct
sound. If the difference is
less than 20 m, the
reflected sound will
reinforce the direct sound
which is desirable.
It is recommended that the
surfaces of the front part of
an auditorium must be
highly reflective to reinforce
direct sound and throw it to
the rear of the room. On
the other hand, the rear
must be highly absorptive
so the delayed direct sound
will the absorbed and not
be reflected to the front.
 6.4 Principal Acoustical
e) Undue Focusing of Sound –
Defects of Rooms is caused by concave
6.1 Definitions c) Resonance – is the surfaces which causes
reinforcement of certain sound sound to converge at
6.2 Nature of Sound frequencies due to certain points with resulting
sympathetic vibrations. This is loss of energy in other
6.3 Acoustical especially the case in parts of the room.
Concerns in enclosed rooms with highly
Architecture
reflective surfaces. The effect
6.4 Principal would be to emphasize certain
Acoustical Defects frequencies at the expense of
of Rooms others, which is undesirable
for balance desired in rooms
intended for music.

d) Flutter Echo – a rapid but

repetitive succession of
sounds caused by highly
reflective parallel surfaces
(wall to wall, or ceiling to floor).
6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS
• absorption coefficient – the fraction of the incident sound
energy absorbed by a surface.

• anechoic chamber – a sealed room in which all the surfaces

are designed to completely absorb all sound produced in the
room.

• attenuation – a reduction in sound level. Sound attenuation in

air-conditioning is specified in terms of dB per meter.

• background noise – ambient noise

• break-in noise – transfer of noise from a space surrounding

the duct into the duct through duct walls.

• break-out noise – transfer of noise from the interior of a duct

through duct walls into a space outside the duct.

• dead room – a room containing an unusually large amount of

sound absorption..

• decibel (dB) – a unit of measurement for sound pressure level,

sound intensity level or sound power level.
6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS
• 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.

• diffuse sound (field) – a sound field in which the sound comes

in equal intensity from all directions.

• direct sound – the sound that arrives at a receiver along a direct

line from the source without reflection from any surface.

• echo – a sound that has been reflected with sufficient time

delay.

• environmental noise – exterior background noise in a

neighborhood (ie. traffic, aircraft).

• fidelity – faithful reproduction of a sound source.

• flutter echo – a rapid but repetitive succession of sound from a

sound source usually occurring as a result of multiple
reflections in a space with hard, flat and parallel walls.

• frequency – the number of full cycles per second measured.

6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS

• impact noise – noise caused by the collision of two objects.

• infrasonic – a sound that is below the human audible

frequency, below 20 Hz.

• insulation – see isolation

• intermittent sound – a sound which is discontinuous or

fluctuates to such an extent that at times its sound pressure
level falls below a measurable level.

• inverse square law – a law which states that the sound

intensity in a free field varies inversely with the square of the
distance from the source.

• isolation – a lack of acoustical connection.

• leak – a small opening in a barrier that allows airborne sound

to pass through.

• live room – a room containing an unusually small amount of

sound absorption.
6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS

• loudness – an auditory sensation that depends on sound

pressure level and the frequency of sound.

• masking – the increase in the threshold of audibility of a sound

that is required so that the sound can be heard in the presence
of another sound.

• noise isolation class (NIC) – a single number rating derived from

the measured value of noise reduction between two rooms.

• noise reduction (NR) – the reduction in sound pressure level of

noise.

• noise reduction coefficient (NRC) – a single number rating

derived from measured values of sound absorption coefficients
of a material at 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz.

• outdoor-indoor transmission class (OITC) – a weighted single

number rating of the sound reduction effectiveness of a partition
that separates an indoor space from the outside.

• pitch – a listener’s perception of the frequency of a pure tone.

6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS
• reflection coefficient – a measure of the sound reflective
property of a surface.

• 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.

• reverberant sound field – a sound field created by repeated

reflections of sound from the boundaries in an enclosed
space.

• reverberation – the continuation of sound in an enclosed

space after the initial source has been terminated.

• reverberation time (RT) – the time it takes for sound intensity

to decay by 1 millionth of its steady state value after the sound
source has been terminated.

• sabin – a unit of measure of sound absorption.

• scattering – an irregular diffraction of sound in many

directions.
6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS
• sound insulation – the ability of a barrier to prevent sound from
reaching a receiver.

• sound intensity (SI) – the average rate of sound energy flow

through a unit area in a given direction.

• sound intensity level (SIL) – a quantity expressed in decibels

of airborne sound.

• sound lock – a small space that works as a buffer between a

source room and a receiving room.

• sound pressure – fluctuating pressure of sound superimposed

on the static air pressure.

• sound pressure level – see sound intensity level

• sound transmission class (STC) – a single number rating of

the sound insulation rating of a partition.

• structure-borne sound – sound propagated through a solid

structure.
6.5 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ACOUSTICAL TERMS

• transmission coefficient – the ratio of transmitted sound

energy
to incident sound energy

• transmission loss (TL) – is the measure of sound insulation of

a partition.

• wavelength – distance between two adjacent compressions or

rarefactions in a sound wave.

• white noise – 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.