AN AUTHORITATIIVE, UP-TO-DATE INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL ACOUSTICS Easy to read and understand, Fundamentals of Physical Acoustics fills a long-standing need for an acoustics text that challenges but does not overpower graduate students in engineering and physics. Mathematical results and physical explanations go hand in hand, and a unique feature of the book is the balance it strikes between time-domain and frequency-domain presentations. Fundamentals of Physical Acoustics is intended for a two-semester, first-year graduate course, but is also suitable for advanced undergraduates. Emphasis on plane waves in the first part of the book keeps the mathematics simple yet accommodates a broad range of topics: propagation, reflection and transmission, normal modes and simple waveguides for rectilinear geometries, horns, inhomogeneous media, and sound absorption and dispersion. The second part of the book is devoted to a more rigorous development of the wave equation, spherical and cylindrical waves (including the more advanced mathematics required), advanced waveguides, baffled piston radiation, diffraction (treated in the time domain), and arrays. Applications and examples are drawn from: * Atmospheric acoustics * Noise control * Underwater acoustics * Engineering acoustics * Acoustical measurements Supplemented with more than 300 graphs and figures as well as copious end-of-chapter problems, Fundamentals of Physical Acoustics is also an excellent professional reference for engineers and scientists.

No branch of classical physics is older in its origins yet more modern in its applications than acoustics. Courses on acoustics very naturally begin with a study of vibrations, as a preliminary to the introduction of the wave equations. Both vibrations and waves, of course, are vastly important to all branches of physics and engineering. But it is very helpful to students to gain an understanding of mechanical waves before trying to comprehend the more subtle and abstract electromagnetic ones. This undergraduate-level text opens with an overview of fundamental particle vibration theory, and it proceeds to examinations of waves in air and in three dimensions, interference patterns and diffraction, and acoustic impedance, as illustrated in the behavior of horns. Subsequent topics include longitudinal waves in different gases and waves in liquids and solids; stationary waves and vibrating sources, as demonstrated by musical instruments; reflection and absorption of sound waves; speech and hearing; sound measurements and experimental acoustics; reproduction of sound; and miscellaneous applied acoustics. Supplementary sections include four appendixes and answers to problems. Introduction. Appendixes. List of Symbols. References. Index. Answers to Problems.

This corrected version of the landmark 1981 textbook introduces the physical principles and theoretical basis of acoustics with deep mathematical rigor, concentrating on concepts and points of view that have proven useful in applications such as noise control, underwater sound, architectural acoustics, audio engineering, nondestructive testing, remote sensing, and medical ultrasonics. Since its publication, this text has been used as part of numerous acoustics-related courses across the world, and continues to be used widely today. During its writing, the book was fine-tuned according to insights gleaned from a broad range of classroom settings. Its careful design supports students in their pursuit of a firm foundation while allowing flexibility in course structure. The book can easily be used in single-term or full-year graduate courses and includes problems and answers. This rigorous and essential text is a must-have for any practicing or aspiring acoustician.

Physical Acoustics: Principles and Methods, Volume VII is a compilation of articles that deals with the various studies in the field of physical acoustics. The book covers the ultrasonic attenuation in metals and superconductors; ultrasonic investigations of phase transitions and critical points; interaction of light with ultrasound; and high frequency elastic surface waves. Physicists, chemists, and materials scientists will find the text a good reference material.

Physical Acoustics: Principles and Methods, Volume II, Part B: Properties of Polymers and Nonlinear Acoustics presents the applications of the methods for detecting and generating sound waves. This book deals with more closely packed materials than found in liquid, which retain the ability to perform some atomic movements. Comprised of six chapters, this volume starts with an overview of the significant method for measuring nonlinearities in liquids and solids in the light diffraction method. This text then describes the basic generalization of linear viscoelastic theory, which is the only theory with enough power, range, and simplicity to be of use in relating the mechanical properties as a whole. Other chapters consider the phenomena that are observed during time-dependent dilatation of amorphous polymers and discuss the relationship of this behavior to that observed during shearing deformation. The final chapter deals with the distortion of the ultrasonic waveform arising from nonlinearity. Physicists and researchers will find this book useful.