Overview

This book has been written to provide an intro- Chapter 2 deals with the mechanism of hear- duction to the fundamental concepts of sound ing and the subjective rating of sound, includ- and a comprehensive coverage whereby un- ing age-related and noise-induced hearing loss. wanted sound (noise) can be controlled. Al- Assessment of any noise problem involves a though there are many notable textbooks which knowledge of the instrumentation available for deal primarily with the physics (or theory) of measurements, the limitations of this instru- sound, and others which treat noise control in mentation, the appropriate procedures for mak- a strictly practical (and sometimes even empir- ing the measurements with the instrumentation, ical) manner, there are few textbooks that pro- and the methods by which the measured data vide a bridging between the necessary under- can be analyzed. Chapter 3 provides an up-to- standing of the fundamentals of sound (its date coverage of these requirements, including generation, propagation, measurement) and the a section on one of the newest and most valu- application of these fundamentals to its control. able tools in noise studies-sound intensity This book provides that link. measurement. The capability of being able to The text presents noise control primarily at measure sound intensity as compared with con- the introductory level.