GLOSSARY OF ACOUSTICAL TERMS

Absorption the ability of the material to absorb acoustical energy. Measured in sabins. The product of area (s) and absorption coefficient (a). Absorption Coefficient the traction of the incident sound energy absorbed by a surface. Absorbing Materials materials that dissipate acoustic energy within their structure as heat and/or mechanical energy of vibration. Usually building materials designed their structure specifically for the purpose of absorbing acoustic energy on the boundary surfaces of rooms or in the cavities of structures. Acoustics the science of sound, including its generation, transmission, and effects of sound waves, the technology of designing spaces, structures and mechanical systems to meet the hearing needs. Anechoic Chamber a sealed room in which all the surfaces are designed to completely absorb all sound produced in the room. Attenuation a reduction in sound level. Sound attenuation in air-conditioning is specified in terms of dB per meter Background Noise ambient noise Break-in Noise transfer of noise from a space surrounding the duct into the duct through duct walls Break-out Noise transfer of noise from the interior of a duct through duct walls into a space outside the duct Creep transmission of sound along the curve Cycle one complete displacement Dead Room a room containing an unusually large amount of sound absorption Decibel (dB) a unit of measurement for sound pressure level, sound intensity level or sound power level Diffraction a change in the direction of propagation of sound as a result of bending caused by a barrier in the path of a sound wave Diffuse Sound (field) a sound field in which the sound comes in equal intensity from all directions Direct Sound the sound that arrives at a receiver along a direct line from the source without reflection from any surface Echo a sound that has been reflected with sufficient time delay

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GLOSSARY OF ACOUSTICAL TERMS

Environmental Noise exterior background noise in a neighbourhood (i.e. traffic, aircraft) Fidelity faithful reproduction of a sound source Flutter Echo a rapid but repetitive succession of sound from a sound source usually occurring as a result of multiple Frequency the number of full cycles per second measured Harmonics a component of sound containing more than one frequency which is an integral multiple of the lowest frequency Hearing the subjective response to sound, including the entire mechanism of the external, middle and internal ear system and nervous and cerebral operations that translate the physical stimuli into meaningful signals Hertz (Hz) unit of measurement for frequency Impact Noise noise caused by the collision of two objects Infrasonic a sound that is below the human audible frequency, below 20 Hz Insulation see isolation Intensity the average rate o sound energy flow per unit area in direction perpendicular to the area Intermittent Sound a sound which is discontinuous or fluctuates to such an extent that at times its sound pressure level falls below a measurable level Inverse Square Law a law which states that the sound intensity in a free field varies inversely with the square of the distance from the source Isolation a lack of acoustical connection Leak a small opening in a barrier that allows airborne sound to pass through Live Room a room containing an unusually small amount of sound absorption Loudness an auditory sensation that depends on sound pressure level and the frequency of sound Masking the increase in the threshold of audibility of a sound that is required so that the sound can be heard in the presence of another sound Noise any unwanted sound, it is annoying and interferes with speech and hearing, or intense enough causing hearing damage

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GLOSSARY OF ACOUSTICAL TERMS

Noise Isolation Class (NIC) a single number rating derived from the measured value of noise reduction between two rooms Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) a single number rating derived from measured values of sound absorption coefficients of a material at 250, 500, 1000, 2000 Hz. Outdoor-indoor Transmission Class (OITC) a weighted single number rating of the sound reduction effectiveness of a partition that separated an indoor space from the outside Pitch a listeners perception of the frequency of a pure tone Reflection Coefficient a measure of the sound reflective property of a surface Resonance the relatively large amplitude of vibration produced when the frequency of the source of sound to the natural frequency of a room Reverberant Sound Field a sound field created by repeated reflections of sound from the boundaries in an enclosed space Reverberation the continuation of sound in an enclosed space after the initial source has been terminated Reverberation Time (RT) the time it takes for sound intensity to decay by 1 millionth of its steady rate value after the sound has been terminated Sabin a unit of measure of sound absorption Scattering an irregular diffraction of sound in many directions Sound Insulation the ability o a barrier to prevent sound from reaching a receiver Sound Intensity (SI) the average rate of sound energy flow through a unit area in a given direction Sound Intensity Level (SIL) a quantity expressed in decibels of airborne sound Sound Lock a small space that works as a buffer between a source room and a receiving room Sound Pressure fluctuating pressure of sound superimposed on the static air pressure Sound Pressure Level see sound intensity level Sound Transmission Class (STC) a single number rating of the sound insulation rating of a partition Page 3 of 4

GLOSSARY OF ACOUSTICAL TERMS

Structure-borne Sound sound propagated through a solid structure Transmission Coefficient the ratio of transmitted sound energy to incident sound energy Transmission Loss (TL) the measure of sound insulation of a partition Tone the subjective response of the ear to the pitch of the sound Ultrasonic sound above the audible range, frequency greater than 20,000 cycles per second Waveform the shape of the graphic representation of a sound wave Wavefront the spherical surface of the sound wave as it travels out in all directions from the source Wavelength distance between two adjacent compressions or rarefaction in a sound wave White Noise a noise whose energy is uniform over a wide range of frequency. This is analogous to the term white light, which consists of almost equal amount of light of different wavelength (colours). A white noise sounds hissy

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