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Science of Sound, The, 3rd edition

Published by Pearson (December 18, 2001) © 2002

  • Thomas D. Rossing Northern Illinois University
  • Richard F. Moore University of California, San Diego
  • Paul A. Wheeler Utah State University
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The Science of Sound is widely recognized as the leading textbook in the field. It provides an excellent introduction to acoustics for students without college physics or a strong background in mathematics. In the Third Edition, Richard Moore and Paul Wheeler join Tom Rossing in updating The Science of Sound to include a wide range of important technological developments in the field of acoustics. New exercises and review questions have been added to the end of each chapter to help students study the material.

  • Four new chapters on computer music introduce students to exciting modern trends in the creation of sound.
  • A new section in every chapter, "Experiments for Home, Laboratory and Classroom Demonstrations," includes a wealth of rewarding and informative experiments to help students understand core concepts through practical experience and real-world examples.
  • Over 400 new review questions have been added.
  • The Electroacoustics section (originally titled The Electrical Production of Sound) has been revised to include recent developments in the field.
  • Every chapter has been thoroughly revised to clarify tricky concepts and refine explanations.
  • The book equips students with the fundamental physics early on in the book, allowing them to explore a wide range of topics in later chapters.
  • I. VIBRATIONS, WAVES, AND SOUNDS.
  • 1. What is Sound?
  • 2. Vibrating Systems.
  • 3. Waves.
  • 4. Resonance.
  • II. PERCEPTION AND MEASUREMENT OF SOUND.
  • 5. Hearing.
  • 6. Sound Pressure, Power, and Loudness.
  • 7. Pitch and Timbre.
  • 8. Combination Tones and Harmony.
  • 9. Musical Scales and Temperament.
  • III. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
  • 10. String Instruments.
  • 11. Brass Instruments.
  • 12. Woodwind Instruments.
  • 13. Percussion Instruments.
  • 14. Keyboard Instruments.
  • IV. THE HUMAN VOICE.
  • 15. Speech Production.
  • 16. Speech Recognition, Analysis, and Synthesis.
  • 17. Singing.
  • V. ELECTROACOUSTICS.
  • 18. Electronic Circuits.
  • 19. Loudspeakers.
  • 20. Microphones, Amplifiers, and Tuners.
  • 21. Digital Circuits and Techniques.
  • 22. Sound Recording.
  • VI. ROOM ACOUSTICS.
  • 23. Auditorium Acoustics.
  • 24. Electronic Reinforcement of Sound.
  • 25. Small Rooms, Home Listening Rooms and Recording Studios.
  • VII. ELECTRONIC AND COMPUTER MUSIC.
  • 26. Music Technology and its Origins.
  • 27. Analog Electronic Music.
  • 28. Digital Audio and Processing.
  • 29. Computer Music and Virtual Acoustics.
  • VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL SOUND.
  • 30. Noise in the Environment.
  • 31. Effects of Noise on People.
  • 32. Control of Noise.

Thomas D. Rossing completed his B.A. at Luther College in 1950, his M.S. and Ph.D. at Iowa State University in 1954. His dissertation was in the field of molecular physics. After graduating, he went into industrial research, and from there, he went to teaching. Currently, he is a professor at Northern Illinois University.

Professor Rossing has published more than 200 papers and ten books. He is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has held about a dozen research positions other than at his home institution—in national laboratories, in research universities, and in several other countries. The Acoustical Society of America awarded him the Silver Medal in Musical Acoustics.

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