Acoustics, the science of vibrations and waves in elastic media. In the more narrow sense, it deals with the audible region of frequencies between 16 Hz and 20 kHz. Physiological and psychological aspects of hearing are also part of the field of acoustics.
■ Elastic media comprise air and water, and solid bodies such as metals, concrete and wood.
1 10.1 Sound waves
Sound waves, propagation of pressure variations in elastic media.
▲ Both longitudinal waves and transverse waves occur in solid elastic media.
▲ In longitudinal waves, the particles oscillate parallel to the direction of wave propagation.
▲ In gases, and to a large extent in liquids, there is no shear viscosity. Therefore, only non-polarizable longitudinal waves arise.
Longitudinal waves propagate in elastic media as rarefaction and compression fronts.
Rarefaction front, ensemble of neighboring points with minimum pressure.
Compression front, ensemble of neighboring points with maximum pressure.
▲ There is nosound in a...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsEditor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer-Verlag
About this entry
Cite this entry
(2002). Acoustics. In: Benenson, W., Harris, J.W., Stocker, H., Lutz, H. (eds) Handbook of Physics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21632-4_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21632-4_10
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-95269-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-21632-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive