Abstract
Acoustics — the science of sound — is a very broad discipline. It has many links to other natural and human sciences and to electrical, mechanical and civil engineering. The glue of acoustics is “sound”: Waves in fluid or elastic media, their generation, transmission, reception, cognition and evaluation. Acoustics thus involves aspects of physics, engineering and psychology. Ultrasound applied in physical acoustics, medical diagnosis or in material testing is an example where acoustics meets several other disciplines, such as solid-state physics and image processing for medical diagnosis or for material testing. Therefore it is in the nature of acoustics to deal with various methodologies. The physical side, of course, is best understood by applying linear and nonlinear wave theory in a straightforward way and especially in academic case studies where analytic calculations are possible. In engineering, more complex geometries or structures must often be considered and simplifications and approximations come into play, the limits of which are motivated from another area: psychoacoustics. Physical data are examined, evaluated and condensed to give meaningful information on the particular characteristics of acoustic impression perceived by humans. This description is indeed typical, although not generally applicable to all acoustical science.
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(2008). Introduction. In: Auralization. RWTHedition. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48830-9_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48830-9_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-48829-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48830-9
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