To Absorb or Reflect... That is the Question
Students explore sound and acousticsCopyright Trevor Cox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salford_Acoustics#/media/File:Measuring_a_diffuser_in_an_anechoic_chamber.png
This is the last of five sound lessons, and it introduces acoustics as the science of studying and controlling sound. Students learn how different materials reflect and absorb sound.
Acoustical engineers help create environments in which we can hear the sounds that we actually want to hear and omit the sounds that we have no desire to hear. For instance, classrooms are designed so that the teachers can hear the students, and students can hear the teachers. Theaters are designed so that the audience can hear the actors. Movie theaters are designed so that you can hear the movie, and the sounds of conversations around you are muffled.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Define acoustics as the science of studying and controlling sound.
- Explain that acoustical engineers help design spaces where some sounds are enhanced and others absorbed.