Acoustics/Introduction



Acoustics (from Greek ακουστικός pronounced akoustikos meaning "of or for hearing, ready to hear") is the science that studies sound, in particular its production, transmission, and effects. The science of acoustics has many applications which are dependent upon the nature of the sound that is to be produced, transmitted or controlled. In the case of a desirable sound, such as music, the main application of acoustics is to make the music sound as good as possible. In the case of an undesirable sound, such as traffic noise, the main application of acoustics is in noise reduction. Another major area of acoustics is in the field of ultrasound which has applications in detection, such as sonar systems or non-destructive material testing. The articles in this Wikibook describe the fundamentals of acoustics and some of the major applications.