Architectural

Acoustics

Assignment-1

Done by

sayeeda sumayya

17091AA051
1.WHAT IS SOUND GENERATION, PROPAGATION,
TRANSMISSION. DESCRIBE
Ans:
sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a
transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
Sound is a form of energy that produces the sensation of hearing in our
ears
Sound is generated by a disturbance that is created in a medium(solid,
liquid, air)
As the source continues to vibrate the medium, the vibrations propagate
away from the
source at the speed of sound, thus, forming the sound wave
Sound travels in the form of waves (both longitudinal and transverse
waves)

The Propagation of sound

Sound is a sequence of waves of pressure which propagates through
compressible media such as air or water. (Sound can propagate through
solids as well, but there are additional modes of propagation). During their
propagation, waves can be reflected, refracted, or attenuated by the
medium.
all media have three properties which affect the behaviour of sound
propagation:
• A relationship between density and pressure. This relationship,
affected by temperature, determines the speed of sound within the
medium.
• The motion of the medium itself, e.g., wind. Independent of the
motion of sound through the medium, if the medium is moving, the
sound is further transported.
• The viscosity of the medium. This determines the rate at which
sound is attenuated. For many media, such as air or water,
attenuation due to viscosity is negligible.
 Sound transmission:
The transmission of sounds through and between materials, including air,
wall, and musical instruments.
three basic elements for transmission and reception of sound must be
present before a sound can be produced. They are (1) the source (or
transmitter), (2) a medium for carrying the sound (air, water, metal, etc.),
and (3) the detector (or receiver).

Sound is transmitted through gases, plasma, and liquids

as longitudinal waves, also called compression waves. It requires a
medium to
propagate. Through solids, however, it can be transmitted as both
longitudinal waves
and transverse waves. Longitudinal sound waves are waves of
alternating pressure deviations from the equilibrium pressure, causing
local regions
of compression and rarefaction, while transverse waves (in solids) are
waves of
alternating shear stress at right angle to the direction of propagation. Sound
waves
may be viewed using parabolic mirrors and objects that produce sound.
The
energy carried by an oscillating sound wave converts back and forth
between the
potential energy of the extra compression (in case of longitudinal waves)
or lateral
displacement strain (in case of transverse waves) of the matter, and the
kinetic
energy of the displacement velocity
of particles of the medium.
2. WRITE ABOUT THE DECIBEL SCALE WITH SKETCH

Ans:

The decibel scale

The ear mechanism is able to respond to both very small and very large
pressure waves by virtue of being nonlinear; that is, it responds much more
efficiently to sounds of very small amplitude than to sounds of very large
amplitude. Because of the enormous
nonlinearity of the ear in sensing pressure
waves, a nonlinear scale is convenient in
describing the intensity of sound waves.
Such a scale is provided by the sound intensity level, or decibel level, of a
sound wave, which is defined by the equation

Here L represents decibels, which correspond to an arbitrary sound wave

of intensity I, measured in watts per square metre. The reference intensity
I0, corresponding to a level of 0 decibels, is approximately the intensity of
a wave of 1,000 hertz frequency at the threshold of hearing—about 10-12
watt per square metre.

3. EXPLAIN INVERSE SQUARE LAW

Ans
an inverse-square law is any scientific law stating that a specified physical
quantity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the
source of that physical quantity. The fundamental cause for this can be
understood as geometric dilution corresponding to point-source radiation
into three-dimensional space.
Radar energy expands during both the signal transmission and the reflected
return, so the inverse square for both paths means that the radar will
receive energy according to the inverse fourth power of the range.

To prevent dilution of energy while propagating a signal, certain methods

can be used such as a waveguide, which acts like a canal does for water, or
how a gun barrel restricts hot gas expansion to one
dimension in order to prevent loss of energy transfer
to a bullet.
the equation takes on the form of:

Where,
I1- intensity 1 at d1
I2-intensity 2 ant d2
D1- distance 1 from source
D2- distance 2 from source

Sound intensity decreases at a rate inversely proportional to the square of

the distance
from the sound source. The relationship can be expressed as:
• I = W/4πr 2
• Where I = sound intensity in watts per square centimeter;
• W = sound power in watts;
• r = distance from the
sound source in
centimeter.
• If the distance is
measured in feet, 4πr
2  has to be multiplied
by 930 (because 1
square foot equals 930
square centimeter).

4. EXPLAIN IN DETAIL THE SOUND PROPAGATION

Ans
SOUND PROPAGATION
The TRANSMISSION of acoustic energy through a medium via a
SOUND WAVE.
he levels of outdoor NOISE, whether they are intrusive or the
normal background environment, vary extensively at distances
greater than about a hundred meters from the source. This
variation is caused by changes in weather conditions and by
topographical features such as ground cover, hills and other
obstacles between the source and the receiver.
There are several important factors which affect the propagation
of sound: geometric spreading, atmospheric effects, and surface
effects.
1. Geometric Spreading
This refers to the spreading of sound energy as a result of the expansion of
the wavefronts. Geometric spreading is independent of FREQUENCY and

has a major effect in almost all sound propagation situations. There are
two common kinds of geometric spreading: spherical and cylindrical
spreading. Sound propagation losses due to spreading are normally
expressed in terms of x dB per doubling of distance from the source.

Attenuation from a point source (left) where the intensity decreases

according to the square of the distance from the source (note increasing
cone area), and from a line source (right) where the intensity decreases
directly according to the distance from the source. Radii A and B indicate
a doubling of distance.
2. Atmospheric Effects
(a) Air Absorption: There are two mechanisms by which acoustic energy
is absorbed by the atmosphere. These are molecular relaxation and
viscosity effects. By far the most important of these is molecular
relaxation. High frequencies are absorbed more than low. The amount

ABSORPTION depends on the temperature and humidity of the

atmosphere. The figures show the variation of the absorption with
temperature and relative humidity.
Precipitation, rain, snow, or fog, has an insignificant effect on sound levels
although the presence of precipitation will obviously affect the humidity
and may also affect wind and temperature gradients.
 (b) Wind and
Temperature
Gradients: The
speed that sound
propagates in a
gas depends on
the temperature
of the gas. Higher temperatures produce higher speeds of sound. Since the
temperature of the atmosphere is not uniform there are local variations in
the sound speed. For example, under normal conditions the atmosphere is
cooler at higher altitudes. This results in sound waves being 'bent'
upwards. This will result in the formation of a shadow zone, which is a
region in which sound does not penetrate. In reality some sound will enter
this zone due to scattering.

3. Surface Effects
(a) Ground Absorption: If sound is propagating over ground,
ATTENUATION will occur due to acoustic energy losses on
REFLECTION. These losses will depend on the surface. Smooth,

hard surfaces will produce little ABSORPTION whereas thick grass

may result in sound levels being reduced by up to about 10 dB per 100
meters at 2000 Hz. High frequencies are generally attenuated more
than low frequencies.

(b) Attenuation Due to Barriers

attenuation can be achieved by the use of solid barriers. A barrier should
be at least high enough to obscure the 'line of sight' between the noise
source and receiver. Barriers smaller than this may have a negative effect
by elimination of the destructive INTERFERENCE phenomenon. A
barrier is most effective for high frequencies since low frequencies are
diffracted around the edge of a barrier more easily

5. WRITE IN DETAIL ABOUT CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND.

WRITE IN DETAIL ABOUT SOUND GENERATION GIVING AN
EXAMPLE
Ans:
Sound is a form of energy which makes us hear. It travels in the form of
wave. Sound wave can be described by five characteristics.

The sensation felt by our ears is called sound. It is a form of energy which
makes us hear.

A wave is a vibratory disturbance in a medium which carries energy from

one point to another without there being a direct contact between the two
points.
There are two types of waves: Longitudinal waves and Transverse waves.

Longitudinal Waves: A wave in which the particles of the medium

vibrate back and forth in the ‘same direction’ in which the wave is
moving.  Medium can be solid, liquid or gases. Therefore, sound
waves are longitudinal waves.

Transverse Waves: A wave in which the particles of the medium

vibrate up and down ‘at right angles’ to the direction in which the
wave is moving. These waves are produced only in a solids and
liquids but not in gases.

five characteristics:
Wavelength, Amplitude,
Time-Period, Frequency
and Velocity or Speed.

1. Wavelength

The minimum distance in which a sound wave repeats itself is called its
wavelength. That is it is the length of one complete wave. It is denoted by
a Greek letter λ (lambda). 

2. Amplitude
When a wave passes through a medium, the particles of the medium get
displaced temporarily from their original undisturbed positions. The
maximum displacement of the particles of the medium from their original
undisturbed positions, when a wave passes through the medium is called
amplitude of the wave. In fact the amplitude is used to describe the size of
the wave. The S.I unit of measurement of amplitude is metre (m) though
sometimes it is also measured in centimetres. 

3. Time-Period
The time required to produce one complete wave or cycle or cycle is called
time-period of the wave. Now, one complete wave is produced by one full
vibration of the vibrating body. So, we can say that the time taken to
complete one vibration is known as time-period. It is denoted by letter T.
The unit of measurement of time-period is second (s).

4. Frequency

The number of complete waves or cycles produced in one second

is called frequency of the wave. Since one complete wave is
produced by one full vibration of the vibrating body, so we can say
that the number of vibrations per second is called frequency
The S.I unit of frequency is hertz or Hz

5. Velocity of Wave (Speed of Wave)

The distance travelled by a wave in one second is called velocity of the
wave or speed of the wave. It is represented by the letter v. The S.I unit for
measuring the velocity is metres per second (m/s or ms-1).
 Sound generation:
Sound is a sequence of waves of pressure which propagates through
compressible media such as air or water. (Sound can propagate through
solids as well, but there are additional modes of propagation). During their
propagation, waves can be reflected, refracted, or attenuated by the
medium.
all media have three properties which affect the behaviour of sound
propagation:
• A relationship between density and pressure. This relationship,
affected by temperature, determines the speed of sound within the
medium.
• The motion of the medium itself, e.g., wind. Independent of the
motion of sound through the medium, if the medium is moving, the
sound is further transported.
• The viscosity of the medium. This determines the rate at which
sound is attenuated. For many media, such as air or water,
attenuation due to viscosity is negligible.

Sound waves are generated by any vibrating body. For EXAMPLE, when
a violin
string vibrates up on being bowed or plucked, its movement in one
direction
pushes the molecules of the air before it crowding them the air before it,
crowding
them together in its path.