Physics of Sound, The

by Berg, Richard E.; Stork, David G.

• ISBN13: 9780131457898
• ISBN10: 0131457896
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-17
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This book incorporates the developments in digital audio technology, including consumer products, into a firm foundation of the physics of sound. No knowledge of physics, mathematics, or music is required.Includes updated information on musical synthesizers. Provides recent information on the ear, including new advances in cochlear implant technology. Updates material for modern technology, particularly MP3. Features abundant examples, including discussion of demonstration experiments. Includes historical discussion of musical temperaments and instruments. Offers videotapes of musical demonstrations on topics discussed in the book, available from author.A useful reference for musicians or anyone interested in learning more about the physics of music.

Author Biography

Professor Richard E. Berg received his B.S. degree in music from Manchester College (Indiana), with emphasis on piano and clarinet, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Michigan State University. After completing his Ph.D. thesis in the area of cyclotron design, be began work on the construction of the cyclotron at the University of Maryland. This work included design and construction of the external beam transport system, design of solid state radiation detectors, and support for research in nuclear physics using the cyclotron. In 1972 he became the director of the University of Maryland Physics Lecture-Demonstration Facility, which has since developed one of the largest and most diverse collections of physics demonstrations in the world. He has initiated courses in Physics of Music laboratory, and an honors course, Nuclear Physics and Society, involving applications of nuclear physics and radiation to contemporary society. Professor Berg has sung and played renaissance wind instruments with University of Maryland Collegium Musicum for over 20 years. He has also played harpsichord and recorder in a smaller group known as the Go for Baroque Ensemble. Professor Berg has been active in physics outreach programs, annually presenting a series of public demonstration programs called Physics is Phun, which has been attended by more than 100,000 people since 1982. Over his career he has presented more than 500 traveling demonstration programs to area school groups and more than 300 smaller programs at the University of Maryland for visiting groups. In the photograph Professor Berg is shown demonstrating the twelve-harmonic variable frequency digital Fourier synthesizer designed and constructed at the University of Maryland.

David G. Stork is Chief Scientist of Ricoh Innovations, Inc., and Consulting Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. He received his B.S. degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of Maryland. Dr. Stork is an accomplished orchestral and chamber timpanist/percussionist, has performed in major concert halls throughout the United States, and performed on more than a dozen compact disks, including four world premier recordings. His principal research interests are in pattern classification, machine learning, and novel uses of the internet. He is an award-winning teacher (Ralph D. Myers Teaching Award, University of Maryland) and publishes and lectures widely on his research and scholarly topics as diverse as Renaissance painting and the relation of science fiction to science fact. His other books include Pattern Classification (2nd ed., Wiley 2000, W R. Duda and P Hart), Speechreading by Humans and Machines (Springer, 1996, W M. Hennecke), Seeing the Light (Whey, 1986, W D. Falk and D. Brill), and HAL's Legacy: 2001's Computer as Dream and Reality (MIT 1997), the latter serving as the source for his PBS television documentary "2001: HAL's Legacy." Dr. Stork sits on the editorial boards of four international journals and is a member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), OSA (Optical Society of America), INNS (International Neural Network Society), and the Sigma XI Honorary Research Society.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	xiii
Preface	xv
Acknowledgments	xvi
Simple Harmonic Motion and Applications	1	(22)
Fundamental Definitions	1	(3)
Simple Harmonic Motion	4	(4)
Application to Sound	8	(3)
Damped and Driven Oscillations	11	(3)
Combinations of Simple Harmonic Oscillations	14	(9)
Summary	18	(1)
Questions	18	(3)
Problems	21	(1)
References	21	(2)
Waves and Sound	23	(45)
Transverse and Longitudinal Waves	23	(6)
Fundamental Properties of Waves	29	(5)
General Behavior of Waves	34	(13)
Addition of Waves	47	(3)
Beats	50	(1)
The Doppler Effect	51	(7)
Shock Waves and Sonic Booms	58	(1)
Ultrasonics	59	(4)
Infrasonics	63	(5)
Summary	64	(1)
Questions	65	(1)
Problems	66	(1)
References	67	(1)
Standing Waves and the Overtone Series	68	(24)
Transverse Standing Waves	68	(3)
Resonance and the Overtone Series	71	(6)
Mersenne's Laws	77	(2)
Longitudinal Standing Waves	79	(7)
Other Standing Waves and Applications	86	(6)
Summary	89	(1)
Questions	89	(2)
Problems	91	(1)
References	91	(1)
Analysis and Synthesis of Complex Waves	92	(28)
Synthesis of Complex Waves	92	(6)
Fourier Analysis and Fourier Spectra	98	(6)
Analysis of Tone Quality	104	(3)
Resonance Curves and Musical Sound Production	107	(13)
Summary	115	(1)
Questions	116	(1)
Problems	117	(1)
References	118	(2)
Electronic Music and Synthesizers	120	(25)
Combination of Waves and Modulation	120	(7)
Analog Synthesizers and Synthesis of Musical Sounds	127	(6)
Digital Synthesizers and Keyboards	133	(3)
MIDI, Computers, and Contemporary Electronic Music	136	(9)
Summary	141	(1)
Questions	141	(2)
Problems	143	(1)
References	143	(2)
The Human Ear and Voice	145	(37)
Peripheral Auditory System	145	(3)
Place Theory of Hearing	148	(3)
Amplitude Response of the Ear	151	(2)
Logarithms and Sound-Intensity Scales	153	(3)
Periodicity Pitch and Fundamental Tracking	156	(1)
Aural Harmonics and Combination Tones	157	(2)
Ohm's Law of Hearing	159	(1)
Masking	160	(1)
Binaural Effects	161	(2)
Hearing Loss	163	(2)
Cochlear Implants	165	(1)
Anatomy of the Vocal Tract	166	(1)
Vocal Formants	167	(4)
Analysis of Vocal Sounds	171	(11)
Summary	177	(1)
Questions	178	(2)
Problems	180	(1)
References	180	(2)
Sound Recording and Reproduction	182	(34)
Electrical Circuits and Ohm's Law	182	(3)
Reproduction and Amplification Systems	185	(3)
Microphones	188	(3)
Loudspeakers	191	(5)
Preamplifiers	196	(2)
Power Amplifiers	198	(1)
AM-FM Tuners	198	(1)
Tape Recorders	199	(3)
Digital Sound Reproduction and the Compact Disc	202	(8)
Compression and MP3	210	(6)
Summary	212	(1)
Questions	213	(1)
Problems	214	(1)
References	215	(1)
Room and Auditorium Acoustics	216	(21)
Criteria in Acoustical Design	216	(5)
Problems in Acoustical Design	221	(4)
Control of Reverberation Time	225	(2)
Design of Auditoriums	227	(4)
Home Listening Rooms	231	(6)
Summary	233	(1)
Questions	234	(1)
Problems	235	(1)
References	236	(1)
Musical Temperament and Pitch	237	(23)
Background and Historical Perspective	237	(5)
Historical Development of Pitch Level	242	(2)
Pythagorean Temperament	244	(3)
Just Temperament	247	(2)
Mean-Tone Temperament	249	(1)
Closed Unequal Temperaments	250	(2)
Equal Temperament	252	(3)
Recent Innovations in Tuning and Temperament	255	(5)
Summary	256	(1)
Questions	257	(1)
Problems	258	(1)
References	259	(1)
Woodwind Instruments	260	(37)
History of Woodwind Instruments	260	(4)
Woodwind Tone Quality	264	(8)
Recorders	272	(4)
Flutes	276	(4)
Clarinets	280	(2)
Saxophones	282	(3)
Oboes	285	(1)
Bassoons	286	(2)
Pipe Organs	288	(9)
Summary	292	(1)
Questions	293	(1)
Problems	294	(1)
References	295	(2)
Brass Instruments	297	(21)
History of Brass Instruments	297	(6)
Sound Production in Brass Instruments	303	(5)
Trumpets	308	(2)
Trombones	310	(2)
French Horns	312	(1)
Other Contemporary Brass Instruments	313	(5)
Summary	314	(1)
Questions	315	(1)
Problems	316	(1)
References	317	(1)
Stringed Instruments	318	(17)
History of Stringed Instruments	318	(4)
Theory of Bowed Instruments	322	(3)
The Violin Family	325	(5)
Plucked Stringed Instruments	330	(5)
Summary	332	(1)
Questions	333	(1)
Problems	334	(1)
References	334	(1)
The Piano	335	(16)
History of the Piano	335	(3)
Construction and Action of the Piano	338	(3)
Piano Strings and Sound Production	341	(4)
Recent Innovations for the Piano	345	(6)
Summary	348	(1)
Questions	348	(1)
Problems	349	(1)
References	350	(1)
Percussion Instruments	351	(16)
Bar Instruments	351	(5)
Chimes and Triangles	356	(1)
Membranophones	357	(5)
Gongs, Tam-Tams, Cymbals, and Bells	362	(5)
Summary	363	(1)
Questions	364	(2)
Problems	366	(1)
References	366	(1)
Appendix A Elementary Music Theory	367	(4)
Appendix B Terms and Units	371	(1)
Appendix C Prefixes with Common Units	372	(1)
Glossary	373	(13)
Index	386

Excerpts

The Physics of Soundwas written for an introductory course in acoustics for nonscientists. A background in neither physics nor mathematics above high school algebra is required. Traditionally, such courses have been tailored to music majors; nonmusicians either do not enroll or do not fully appreciate the physical principles because they are applied almost exclusively to musical topics. We have tried to avoid this limitation by dividing the text into three main sections.Chapters 1-4 present the basic physics essential for virtually all topics in the text: simple harmonic motion, wave principles, resonance, standing waves, the overtone series, Fourier synthesis, and spectrum analysis. No previous musical knowledge is required to appreciate these chapters, and a brief summary of the basic musical notation used in these chapters is provided in Appendix A. Applications and illustrations come from a variety of musical and nonmusical areas. We have revised Chapter 1 with additional discussion of SHM and apply these concepts to debunking psychokinetic myths. Our discussion of wave properties of sound in Chapter 2 has been revised to include a discussion of modern applications such as noise cancellation technology, highway noise barriers, and ultramodern sonogram technology.Chapters 5-8 illustrate the principles outlined in Chapters 1-4 and are of general interest to the musician and the nonmusician alike. The use of musical concepts and notation has been minimized so as to retain the broadest base of appeal, but the more important musical aspects of each topic are still included. For example, Chapter 7 on sound reproduction and Chapter 8 on room acoustics illustrate the principles presented in earlier chapters and are of substantial interest because of the part they play in our daily lives. We use the discussion of analog synthesizers in Chapter 5 as an opportunity to investigate the differences between sounds by studying how these sounds are created in a synthesizer. Our treatment of digital synthesizers has been updated to include use of computers as an integral part of the synthesizer system. The material on MIDI systems includes further discussion of how these systems are used to compose music and to aid musical performance using contemporary computer programs such as Sibelius. We have also added a section on physics and synthesizers in contemporary electroacoustic music composition. Chapter 6 discusses the principles of the ear and the voice at an elementary level, but has been updated with a section on cochlear implants, which have literally dated a revolution in education of hearing disabled children. We have also included 4 section on the use of audio spectrograms in teaching language to the hearing disabled. Chapter 7 has been thoroughly revised from the second edition to include a discussion of MP3 using the concepts of spectral analysis and masking covered previously. Chapter 8 has been updated with a discussion of visual and musical features for a new auditorium at the University of Maryland. The first eight chapters contain the core material for a one-semester course in the physics of sound and music.Chapters 9-14 are more specialized. Each of these chapters independently treats a different aspect ofmusicalacoustics and is best (though not exclusively) understood by those with some musical experience. Photographs of families of contemporary instruments have been added to the chapters on woodwinds and brasses. Any of the final six chapters could be studied in class or could naturally be assigned to students on an individual basis.Unlike most authors of elementary acoustics texts, we have treated the historical development of instruments, paying particular attention to acoustical developments. We have also tried to relate the physical principles of contemporary instruments to performance technique; the knowledge ofhowandwhyan instrument works and its limitations an