02 Math, physics, and room acoustics

This session develops the discipline’s quantitative basis. We talk about the decibel scale, the summation of multiple sources, the attenuation of sound level with distance, and the different weightings that approximate the ear’s uneven sensitivity. We consider the reverberation time and its dependence on the room’s volume and the sound-absorption properties of its surfaces. We look at sound propagation, reflections, diffraction, interference, and room modes. The accompanying exercises apply these relationships to real spaces, where you will learn to estimate the reverberation time based on a room’s dimensions and surfaces.