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The sound waves are generated by a sound source, such as the vibrating diaphragm of a stereo speaker. The sound source creates vibrations in the surrounding medium. As the source continues to vibrate the medium, the vibrations propagate away from the source at the speed of sound, thus forming the sound wave.
An acoustic wave is a mechanical wave that transmits energy through the movements of atoms and molecules. Acoustic waves transmit through fluids in a longitudinal manner (movement of particles are parallel to the direction of propagation of the wave); in contrast to electromagnetic waves that transmit in transverse manner (movement of particles at a right angle to the direction of propagation ...
Geometrical acoustics does not take into account such important wave effects as diffraction. However, it provides a very good approximation when the wavelength is very small compared to the characteristic dimensions of inhomogeneous inclusions through which the sound propagates.
Note that the diagrams in this reference show displacement waves, similar to the ones shown above. These stand in sharp contrast to the pressure waves shown near the end of the present article. By overblowing an open tube, a note can be obtained that is an octave above the fundamental frequency or note of the tube. For example, if the ...
This falls within the domain of physical acoustics. In fluids, sound propagates primarily as a pressure wave. In solids, mechanical waves can take many forms including longitudinal waves, transverse waves and surface waves. Acoustics looks first at the pressure levels and frequencies in the sound wave and how the wave interacts with the ...
Sound propagates as mechanical vibration waves of pressure and displacement, in air or other substances. [5] In general, frequency components of a sound determine its "color", its timbre. When speaking about the frequency (in singular) of a sound, it means the property that most determines its pitch. [6]
A sine, square, and sawtooth wave at 440 Hz A composite waveform that is shaped like a teardrop. A waveform generated by a synthesizer. In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.
Sound waves generating volumetric deformations (compression) and shear deformations (shearing) are called pressure waves (longitudinal waves) and shear waves (transverse waves), respectively. In earthquakes , the corresponding seismic waves are called P-waves (primary waves) and S-waves (secondary waves), respectively.