Preface

As is stated by its title, this is a textbook. It is not a treatise that will make the reader an expert in any topic. However, it also is not merely an introduction to acoustics. The intent is to provide students with a foundation of core concepts and tools that will permit in-depth study of any of the physics and engineering acoustics specialties. This book, like my others in engineering dynamics and vibrations, is based on some basic precepts. A textbook must prepare a student to work in an area where phenomena are complicated. These complications must be addressed in a manner that is accessible to students. Rather than merely deriving and applying basic formulas, a textbook should assist the reader to recognize the connection between formulas and physical phenomena and correspondingly to use understanding of each of these aspects to anticipate and explain results from the other. Equally importantly, a well-done text should motivate students for further study by exposing them to the many remarkable phenomena that make the subject of acoustics so interesting. In view of these objectives, the coverage is quite comprehensive. I have not found some of the topics fully addressed in other textbooks. Indeed, some I developed especially for this book. Furthermore, almost every chapter has features that are not commonly encountered in other texts. In my estimation, complete coverage of all topics would require more than a two-semester course sequence. In recognition of the conflict between depth and breadth, each chapter is organized such that instruction of the early sections, which address fundamental concepts, should be adequate to proceed to the next chapter. I have taken great care to explain analytical steps, the physical interpretation of key results, and especially how the student should proceed to solve problems in each topic. Some of the derivations and explanations I believe are unique to this book. Examples are numerous, and most are more than simple applications of derived formulas. Rather, they are intended as case studies that explain why the example is important, why the solution proceeds as it does, how to perform unfamiliar operations, what can be learned from the results about fundamental