Introduction and terminology
Abstract
This chapter begins with a short history of the development of acoustics from the time of Helmholtz and Lord Rayleigh to today's concert halls and cell phones. A visual picture of sound in air is presented to help the reader to understand the basic equations that follow. Vital to the acoustics field is an understanding of its terminology: sound pressure, density, speed and velocity, impedance, intensity, energy density, and levels. The reader is urged to carry the material of this chapter in mind as these concepts occur over and over in the subsequent chapters.
Keywords
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