Postgraduate Course: Acoustics (Level 11) (MUSI11076)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
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 acoustical measurement and analysis tools, such as (but not limited to) 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 10) (MUSI10118)
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Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 16,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 21,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 9,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
150 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
30 %,
Coursework
70 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 3 assessment components.
1. Problem set (4-7 mathematics problems), 30%, weeks 5-7.
2. Class test (4-6 mathematics problems), 30%, weeks 8-9.
3. Acoustics project (2000-2500 words), 40%, week 10-11.
Problem set: you will be asked to work through a mathematics-based problem set involving acoustical systems, using the concepts explored and skills developed during the first 5 weeks of the course. This component addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.
Class test: You will be asked to work through a number of mathematics-based problems involving acoustical systems, in the context of a time-limited open book test. The test will address all material explored in the first 7 weeks of the course. This component addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.
Acoustics project: You will carry out a quantitative, measurement-based evaluation of an acoustical system, which incorporates a group working component, within a project-based framework. Your work will be individually written up as a short report, including images, schematics, results figures and graphs, with supporting material including sound recordings, computer code, and 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. You will receive written formative feedback from staff for completing a problem set task in advance of the first assessed component..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, from simple oscillators to clarinets, showing critical awareness of the underlying approximations and limitations.
- Use boundary and/or initial conditions to solve advanced problems involving the propagation of sound in canonical acoustical systems, including through evaluation of travelling wave solutions and/or impedance-based analysis, showing critical awareness throughout.
- Derive expressions for modal shapes, frequencies, and phase and group velocities for sound in canonical acoustical systems, demonstrating critical awareness of the underlying linear systems concepts that apply throughout.
- Use a significant range of measurement and analysis 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 significant technical report, the marking rubric for which is aligned to expectations for student performance at SCQF Level 11.
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Reading List
Morse, Philip M., Vibration and sound, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1948.
Rossing, Thomas. D. and Fletcher, Neville H., Principles of vibration and sound, 2nd ed. Springer Science & Business Media, 2004.
Bilbao, Stefan, Numerical sound synthesis: finite difference schemes and simulation in musical acoustics. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
Garrett, Stephen L., Understanding Acoustics: An Experimentalist¿s View of Sound and Vibration, 2nd ed. Springer Nature, 2020. |
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,musical instruments |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas McKenzie
Tel:
Email: thomas.mckenzie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Laura Duff
Tel:
Email: lduff4@ed.ac.uk |
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