Although only the first tuning fork has been hit, the second fork is visibly excited due to the oscillation caused by the periodic change in the pressure and density of the air by hitting the other fork, creating an acoustic resonance between the forks. One of the forks is being hit with a rubberized mallet. In this case, sound is a sensation.Įxperiment using two tuning forks oscillating usually at the same frequency. Sound can also be viewed as an excitation of the hearing mechanism that results in the perception of sound. (b) Auditory sensation evoked by the oscillation described in (a).' Sound can be viewed as a wave motion in air or other elastic media. Sound is defined as '(a) Oscillation in pressure, stress, particle displacement, particle velocity, etc., propagated in a medium with internal forces (e.g., elastic or viscous), or the superposition of such propagated oscillation. An audio engineer, on the other hand, is concerned with the recording, manipulation, mixing, and reproduction of sound.Īpplications of acoustics are found in almost all aspects of modern society, subdisciplines include aeroacoustics, audio signal processing, architectural acoustics, bioacoustics, electro-acoustics, environmental noise, musical acoustics, noise control, psychoacoustics, speech, ultrasound, underwater acoustics, and vibration. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician, while someone working in the field of acoustical engineering may be called an acoustical engineer. Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound, and infrasound.

Soundwaves background