BROADCAST ENGINEERING AND

ACOUSTICS
Properties of Sound (Part 2)
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Measurements
 Speed of Sound
 Sound Pressure (P)
 Sound Pressure Level (SPL)
 Sound Intensity (I)
 Sound Intensity Level (SIL)
 Sound Power (Pac)
 Sound Power Level (SWL)
 Acoustic Impedance or Characteristic Impedance (Z)
 Loudness and Loudness Level
 Reverberation Time
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Speed of Sound (Velocity of Sound)
- describes how much distance such a wave
travels in a given amount of time.
- in Dry Air at 21°C the speed of sound is 344
m/s
- sound travels slightly faster in humid air
cair = 331.3 + (0.606t) m/s
where: t – temperature in degree Celsius (°C)
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
In general:

c =  C/

where: c – speed of sound

C – Coefficient of Stiffness
 - density
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Let’s see how your brain can recall:
Speed of sound in km/hr
Speed of Sound in mph
Speed of Sound in ft/s
 VELOCITY OF SOUND

Solids

Where:
E = Young’s Modulus of elasticity,
dynes/cm3
d = density of the medium, g/cm3
 VELOCITY OF SOUND

Liquids

Where:
E = Bulk’s Modulus of elasticity,
dynes/cm3
d = density of the medium, g/cm3
 VELOCITY OF SOUND

Gases

Where:
k = specific heat ratio = hsp/hsv
hsp = specific heat at constant pressure
hsv = specific heat at constant volume
p = gas pressure, dynes/cm2
d = density, g/cm3
 VELOCITY OF SOUNDS

Dry Air/Air (for TC ≥ 20 0C)

where:
TK = temperature in Kelvin
VELOCITY OF SOUND
 VELOCITY OF SOUNDS

 Notes
❖ Sounds travel more slowly in gases than in
liquids, and more slowly in liquids than in
solids.
❖ Sounds travels slower with an increased altitude
(elevation if you are on solid earth), primarily as a
result and humidity changes.
POSSIBILITIES WHEN A PROPAGATED
SOUND IS OBSTRUCTED
POSSIBILITIES WHEN A
PROPAGATED SOUND IS
OBSTRUCTED
 POSSIBILITIES WHEN A
PROPAGATED SOUND IS
OBSTRUCTED
 Sound is Reflected
 Echo
 Becomes apparent to the listener only when the
distance from the source and the reflecting
medium is great and the difference between the
original and reflected sound is greater or equal to
1/17 of a second.
 Flutter
 Brought about by a series of reflections between
two parallel surfaces resulting to prolongation of
sound
 Creates listening fatigue

 Interference
 Reflection caused by two parallel surfaces,
producing standing waves
 POSSIBILITIES WHEN A
PROPAGATED SOUND IS
OBSTRUCTED
 Sound is absorbed
 Conversion of sound energy to heat energy
 Onward transmission through obstruction
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Pressure (P)
- the instantaneous sound pressure is the
deviation from the local ambient pressure Po
caused by a sound wave at a given location and
given instant of time.
- the SI unit for sound pressure is Pascal
(Pa) or N/m2
- the root mean square (RMS) of the
instantaneous sound pressure in a stated
frequency band and during specified time
interval, unless another time-averaging process
is indicated.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
P=F/A

where: P – Sound Pressure

F – Force
A – Area

( microbar, Pa(N/m2), lb/ft2, millimeter of Mercury,

Torr, lb/in2, atmosphere)
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Pressure Level (SPL)
- ten times the common logarithm of the square
of the ratio of the sound pressure to the reference
sound pressure expressed in decibel.
- dB(SPL), dBSPL or dBSPL

SPL = 10 log10 (Prms2/Po2) = 20 log10 (Prms/Po) dB

where: Prms – the rms sound pressure being

measured
Po – reference sound pressure (20Pa or
2 x 10-5 N/m2 or 2 x10-4 dynes/cm2 or 0.0002 bar
or 2.089lb/ft2
SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS
SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Pressure Level (SPL) @ any
unit of Pressure in dB
SPL = 20 log10 PN + N

where: PN – rms sound pressure expressed in any

unit of pressure
N – SPL constant corresponding to the
unit at which sound pressure is
expressed
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
SPL Constant for any Unit of Pressure
Sound Pressure in Designation N
Microbar bar 74
Pascal Pa(N/m2) 94
lb/ft2 psf 127.6
Millimeter of Mercury mm Hg 136.5
Torr torr 136.5
lb/in2 psi 170.8
atmosphere (tech) atm 193.8
atmosphere (standard) atm 194.1
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Pressure Level (SPL) in dB
From an Isotropic Source in Free Space
SPL = PWL – 20 log10 d – 11
From a source at Ground Level
SPL = PWL – 20 log10 d – 8
 Total Sound Pressure
From Sources with Unequal Levels
PT =  P12 + P2 2+ P3 2+ .. Pn 2
From Sources with Equal Levels
PT = P  n
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Total Sound Pressure Level (SPLT)
From Sources with Unequal Levels
SPLT = 20 log10 PT + N

From Sources with Equal Levels

SPLT = 10 log10 n + SPL
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Intensity
- defined as the sound power per unit area
- the usual context is the noise measurement
of sound intensity in the air at a listener’s
location
- for instantaneous acoustic pressure and
particle velocity, the average acoustic intensity
during time T is given by
I = 1/T  Pinst(t) • v(t) dt
- the direction of the intensity is the average
direction in which the energy is flowing.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
- for a spherical sound source, the intensity
is the radial direction as a function of distance r
from the center of the source is
Ir = P/A = P / 4r2
- W/m2
- In any medium, - In air
I = P2 / c I = P2 / 410
where:  = density of medium in kg/m3
c = velocity of sound m/s
P = pressure in Pa
c = 410 ray/s in air
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Intensity Level (SIL, dBSIL)
- is the magnitude of sound intensity
expressed in logarithmic units

SIL = 10 log10 /I/ / Io dB

where: Io – reference intensity , 1 x 10-12 W/m2 or

10-16 W/cm2
SOUND LEVELS
SOUND LEVELS
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sound Power (P or W)
- a measure of sonic energy E radiated per
unit time
- measured in watts, or sound intensity
times area
P=I•A
 Sound Power Level (PWL)
- a logarithmic measure of the sound power
in comparison to a specified reference level
PWL = 10 log10 (P1/Po) dB
where: Po = 1 x 10-12 watts
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Acoustic Impedance or
Characteristic Impedance(Z)
- the ratio of sound pressure to particle
velocity at its connection point

Z = P/v = I/v2 = P2/I

where: P – sound pressure (N/m2 or Pa)

v – particle velocity ( m/s)
I – sound Intensity ( w/m2)
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Loudness and Loudness Level
- sound loudness is a subjective term
describing the strength of the ear’s perception of
a sound
- it is intimately related to sound intensity
but can by no means considered identical to
intensity
- the ear’s response to increasing sound
intensity is a “power of ten” or logarithmic
relationship
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
- the loudness, measured in phons, uses the
same standard, which is the loudness sensation
produced by 1kHz tone 40dB above the threshold
of hearing of a listener.
- loudness of 1 sone has been defined
equivalent to a loudness level of 40phons

s = 2 [(p-40)/10]

where: s = loudness level in sones

p = loudness level in phons
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Intervals
 the ratio between the frequencies of two sounds
 an interval of 10:1 is termed as decade (10n = f2/f1)
 an interval of 2:1 is called an octave ( 2n = f2/f1)
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Threshold of Hearing
- RMS sound pressure of 20Pa
- approximately the quietest sound a young
humans with undamaged hearing can detect at
1000Hz
- frequency dependent and it has been shown
that the ear’s sensitivity is best at frequencies
between 1kHz and 5kHz.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Threshold of Pain
- the sound pressure or sound pressure level
beyond which sound becomes unbearable for
human listener
- varies only slightly with frequency
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Sample Problems:
1. Express one hundred twenty microbars of
pressure variation in terms of sound pressure
level.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
2. A car horn outdoors produces a sound intensity
level of 90dB at 10 ft away. At this distance,
what is the sound power in watt?
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
3. The sound power level of a jet plane flying at a
height of 1km is 160dB. What is the maximum
sound pressure level on the ground directly
below the plane assuming that the aircraft
radiates sound equally in all directions?
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
4. Determine the PWL of three motors with a
radiated acoustic power of 25mW, 40mW and
85mW respectively.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
5. You are at a party and talking with a group of
people. They all produce sound intensity levels of
the same magnitude at your position. The
combine level when all four talks at once is 70dB.
a. What is the sound intensity level from one
person?
b. What is the sound intensity from one person?
c. If two additional people joined the conversation
with an individual level of 68dB each, compute
for the new combined intensity level.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
6. Calculate the effective SPL for a telephone ring,
an operating vacuum cleaner and an air-
conditioner with an individual SPL of 82dB, 76
dB and 80dB respectively relatively to 20Pa.
PROPERTIES OF SOUND
 Seatwork
1. Calculate the loudness of sound with 75-phon
loudness level.
2. Calculate the sound pressure level from a 5N
force exerted on a 25m2 area.
3. What is the sound power level produced by a 1-
mW sound source at a distance of 5 m?