Undergraduate Course: Acoustics (Level 10) (MUSI10118)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Acoustics is the scientific study of sound, including its production, control, transmission, and reception. In this course you will survey, at a fundamental and mathematical level, a range of canonical systems of relevance in musical, architectural, and engineering acoustics. You will also learn to make, analyse, and evaluate measurements of acoustical systems, and mindfully integrate these within the context of a short project. |
| Course description |
Morse says in the book "Vibration and Sound" (1948, p.20) that 'The whole study of sound is a study of vibrations'. In this course you will discover why this is such a salient statement, and how a fundamental understanding of sound, based upon acoustical analysis, can lend insight into the design and function of physical and virtual musical instruments, concert halls, loudspeakers and microphones, the human ear, audio/video conferencing and virtual reality tools, cochlear implants and hearing aids, and a host of other interesting systems.
In technical terms, 'acoustics' concerns the generation, transmission, and reception of energy in the form of vibrational waves in matter. We often refer to such waves as 'sound', particularly when, as in many musical and engineering applications, we are concerned with their behaviour in air and at frequencies audible to humans.
This course surveys a range of fundamental and canonical acoustical systems of relevance in musical, architectural, and engineering acoustics, such as lumped elements, strings, bars, membranes, and acoustic tubes. The focus is on developing your technical knowledge and experience, allowing you to solve problems, develop ideas, and build connections with other disciplines such as audio programming, sound synthesis, data analysis, and design engineering.
The course is split into two parts. In Part A (approximately the first 2/3 of the course) you will explore acoustics at a fundamental, mathematical level through lectures, tutorials, and coursework. In Part B (final 1/3 of the course) you will engage in project work, employing hands-on acoustical measurement and analysis tools, such as loudspeakers and microphones, to apply, analyse, and contextualise your knowledge of acoustics in real-world applications. The teaching activity pattern typically involves 4 hours of contact time per week, split across lectures, tutorials, and workshops.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
Acoustics (Level 11) (MUSI11076)
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Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | This course requires the use of multivariable calculus, complex algebra, and linear systems theory. Students must have studied an appropriate set of pre-Honours courses covering such material. A familiarity with basic physics, such as Newtonian mechanics, is helpful. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 11 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 14,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 16,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 12,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
152 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
30 %,
Coursework
70 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Component 1 (35% of course mark): Acoustics problem sets [coursework assessment; submissions due during first half of the course]
You will be asked to work through mathematically based problems involving acoustical systems; you will solve these problems using the concepts explored and skills developed during Part A of the course. This component addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.
Component 2 (30% of course mark): Acoustics class exam [examined assessment (not centrally timetabled); takes place at the end of Part A of the course]
You will be asked to work through a small number of mathematically based problems involving acoustical systems, in the context of a time-limited open book class exam. The problems will address material explored in Part A of the course. This component addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.
Component 3 (35% of course mark): Acoustics project [coursework assessment; takes place at the end of Part B of the course]
You will carry out a quantitative, measurement-based evaluation of an acoustical system, within a project-based framework. The project brief, which incorporates a group working component, will be set by the Course Organiser, and based upon material covered in Part B of the course; a typical topic is architectural acoustics. Your work will be individually written up as a short report (circa 2000 words), including images, schematics, results figures and graphs, computer code, and any other relevant supporting material. This component addresses Learning Outcomes 4 and 5. |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback
You will receive verbal formative feedback (from both staff and your peers) throughout the course during tutorials, in response to the formative tasks used during tutorials. In addition, feedback provided in relation to summative assessments (see below) also plays a formative/feedforward role throughout the course in helping you to improve remaining summative assessments.
Summative feedback
You will receive feedback on all summative coursework assessments in the form of brief written comments, and through summary written and verbal comments shared with the whole class. Summative feedback will be provided in accordance with standard University timescales. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Derive equations describing the behaviour of canonical acoustical systems, such as oscillators, strings, membranes, and acoustic tubes.
- Use boundary and/or initial conditions to solve problems involving the propagation of sound in canonical acoustical systems, including through evaluation of travelling wave solutions and/or impedance-based analysis.
- Derive expressions for modal shapes, frequencies, and phase and group velocities for sound in canonical acoustical systems.
- Use measurement tools, such as microphones, loudspeakers, and linear systems analysis, to quantitatively evaluate the characteristics of acoustical systems (such as rooms).
- Integrate background theory and knowledge, measurements, and analysis into the production of a technical report, the marking rubric for which is aligned to expectations for student performance at SCQF Level 10.
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Reading List
''Vibration and Sound'' (Second Edition, 1948). Philip M. Morse. McGraw-Hill Book Company.
''Principles of Vibration and Sound'' (Second Edition, 2003). Neville H. Fletcher and Thomas D. Rossing. Springer.
''Numerical Sound Synthesis: Finite Difference Schemes and Simulation in Musical Acoustic'' (2009). Stefan Bilbao. John Wiley & Sons.
''Understanding Acoustics: An Experimentalist's View of Acoustics and Vibration'' (2017). Stephen L. Garrett. Springer.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The University has identified several skills and mindsets that it believes should be fostered during your time as a student. This course will encourage you to develop a number of these graduate attributes in particular.
The focus on problem solving involving acoustical systems throughout the course will develop your skills as a problem solver, and critical and creative thinker.
The acoustics project work will exercise and develop your skills as a communicator, and effective participant in group-based working.
The creative variety of assessment tasks will nurture your curiosity, encouraging you to develop your skills and mindset as a lifelong learner. As part of this, you will develop skills in personal and intellectual autonomy, as you take ownership of your learning through engaging in problem solving tasks, prepare for the class exam, and carry out project work, both as part of a group and on your own. |
| Keywords | acoustics,audio,sound,musical instruments,room acoustics,architectural acoustics,engineering |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas McKenzie
Tel:
Email: thomas.mckenzie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Dr Ellen Jeffrey
Tel: (0131 6)50 2430
Email: ellen.jeffrey@ed.ac.uk |
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