Introduction to Acoustics

This course begins by explaining the significance of the acoustic environment as well as the factors affecting the acoustic environment. You will learn about the types of sound fields including free fields, diffuse fields and others. You will be introduced to the concept of room acoustics as well as the parameters used to define room acoustics including dimensions, absorptivity and absorption coefficient. You will also learn about reverberation time and the statistical model of reverb time.

The course then explains reverberation time and the various reverberation times for different purposes. You will also learn about the mathematical expressions of the mean free path, the average number of reflection and mean reflection path. You will learn about the kinds of room acoustics namely large room acoustics and small room acoustics. You will also learn about the various types of modes and semi reverberant room calculations.

You will be introduced to the articulation loss of consonant percentage also known as ALCONS. You will learn about the mathematical expressions of Eigen Mode, reverberation sound level and the factors to look out for when designing an acoustic studio. You will also learn about the factors to be considered when designing an auditorium as well as the three parts of auditorium design. You will also learn about the architectural contributions to auditorium design.