Q1. Define building Acoustic & Terminolgy to it.

Ans. Building acoustics is the science of controlling noise in buildings. This includes the minimisation of noise transmission
from one space to another and the control of the characteristics of sound within spaces themselves.

uilding acoustics are an important consideration in the design, operation and construction of most buildings, and can have a
significant impact on health and wellbeing, communication and productivity. They can be particularly significant in spaces such as
concert halls, recording studios, lecture theatres, and so on, where the quality of sound and its intelligibility are very important.

Building acoustics can be influenced by:

 The geometry and volume of a space.

 The sound absorption, transmission and reflection characteristics of surfaces enclosing the space and within the space.
 The sound absorption, transmission and reflection characteristics of materials separating spaces.
 The generation of sound inside or outside the space.
 Airborne sound transmission.
 Impact noise.

Terminology:-
ACOUSTICS
The scientific study of sound, its production, transmission, and effects.

ACOUSTICAL
The properties of a material to absorb or reflect sound (adjective), Acoustically (adverb).

ACOUSTICAL ANALYSIS
A review of a space to determine the level of reverberation or reflected sound in the space (in seconds) influenced by the
building materials used to construct the space. Also the amount of acoustical absorption required to reduce reverberation
and noise.

ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT
A professional who is experienced in providing advice on acoustical requirements and noise control in a variety of
situations.

ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENT
The acoustical characteristics of a space or room influenced by the amount of acoustical absorption, or lack of it, in the
space.

AIRBORNE SOUND
Sound that reaches the point of interest by traveling through the air.

AMBIENT NOISE/SOUND
All noise level present in a given environment, usually being a composite of sounds from many sources near and far. Traffic,
HVAC, masking sound, or even low-level background music can contribute to ambient level of noise or sound.

AMPLITUDE
The non-negative scaler measurement of a sound wave’s peak magnitude during a frequency cycle or peak pressure
variation.

ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS
The control of noise in a building space to adequately support the communications function within the space and its effect
on the occupants. The qualities of the building materials used to determine its character with respect to distinct hearing.

ARTICULATION CLASS (AC)

A measure of rating building elements such as acoustical ceilings and acoustical screens for speech privacy purposes. AC
values increase with increasing privacy. AC has replaced Noise Isolation Class (NIC) as the accepted industry standard
performance value. NIC is based on hearing sensitivity rather than discernment of actual speech, which is the primary
concern in open office layouts prevalent in acoustical design work.

ARTICULATION INDEX
A measure of speech intelligibility influenced by an acoustical environment, and rated from 0.01 to 1.00. The higher the
number, the higher the intelligibility of the spoken word in a sentence from 0 to 100%.

AREA EFFECT
Acoustical materials spaced apart can have greater absorption than the same amount of materials butted together. The
increase in efficiency is due to absorption is due to more surface area on an acoustical panel, diffraction around the panels,
and air space.

ASTM
Acronym for the American Society of Testing and Materials.

A-WEIGHTING
A measure of sound pressure level designed to reflect the response of the human ear, which does not respond equally to all
frequencies. To describe sound in a manner representative of the human ear’s response it is necessary to reduce the
effects of the low and high frequencies with respect to medium frequencies. The resultant sound level is said to be A-
weighted, and the units are in decibels (dBA). The A-weighted sound level is also called the noise level.

A-WEIGHTED SOUND LEVEL

The sound level measured with a sound level meter using A-weighting, which alters the sensitivity of the sound level meter
with respect to frequency so that the sound level meter is less sensitive at frequencies where the ear is less sensitive;
usually used in specifying permissible sound levels in buildings.

BACKGROUND NOISE
The sum total of all unwanted residual noise generated from all direct and reflected sound sources in a space that can
represent an interface to, or interfere with good listening and speech intelligibility. hearing impaired persons are especially
victimized by background noise.

BAFFLE
An acoustical sound absorbing unit. Normally suspended vertically in a variety of patterns to introduce absorption into a
space to reduce reverberation and noise levels.

BARRIER
Anything physical or an environment that interferes with communication or listening.

BASS TRAP
An acoustic absorber or sound baffle used mainly in sound-recording studios and home theaters to absorb sound at low
frequencies less than about 100 hertz (Hz). Bass traps, like all acoustically absorptive materials, function by turning sound
energy within the room into minute amounts of heat through friction.

BOOMINESS
Low frequency reflections. In small rooms, acoustical panels with air space behind can better help control low frequency
reflectivity.

CLOUD
In acoustical industry terms, an acoustical panel suspended in a horizontal position from a ceiling or room structure. Similar
to a baffle, but in a horizontal position.

COCKTAIL PARTY EFFECT

The Cocktail Party effect describes the ability to focus one’s listening attention on a single talker among a mixture of
conversations and background noises, ignoring other conversations. This effect reveals one of the surprising abilities of our
auditory system, which allows us to communicate in a noisy place, such as a cocktail party.

COINCIDENCE REGION
The typically high frequency at which sounds can pass directly through a partition due to the partition resonating at that
same frequency. Speed of wave traveling through the material equals the speed of the sound (incident) wave in the air.

CONSTRAINED LAYER DAMPING

Vibrational energy is dissipated and converted into small amounts of heat as a result of the extension and compression, or
shearing of a damping layer. A viscoelastic damping compound between two stiff or rigid constraining layers such as drywall
or plywood. This conversion of vibration to heat reduces the resonance of the stiff layers much like placing a hand on a
drum head to stop it from resonating.

CYCLE
In acoustics, the cycle is the complete oscillation of a sound wave’s pressure above and below the atmospheric static
pressure.

CYCLES PER SECOND

The number of oscillations (cycles) that occur in the time frame of one second. (See FREQUENCY). Low frequency sounds
have fewer and longer cycles than high frequency sounds.

DAMPING
The process by which vibrations are converted into heat over time and distance.

DECIBEL
A logarithmic unit used to express the difference or magnitude of the level or power of sound intensity. It is equal to ten
times the common logarithm of the ratio of the two levels. [DECI + BEL] A whisper is about 20 dB, typical conversation is
between 60-70 dB, and the threshold of pain for the human ear is around 120 dB. Decibels are not directly related to human
ear sensitivity and double dB does not equate to a doubling in perceived loudness since it works as a curve. 10 dB is a
typical doubling or halving of perceived volume. Note that being logarithmic values, they cannot be added.

DEFLECTION
The distance of an elastic body or spring moves when subjected to a static or dynamic force.

DIFFUSION
The scattering or random reflection of a sound wave from a surface. The direction of reflected sound is changed so that the
listeners may have the sensation of sound coming from all directions at equal levels. Most rooms are not diffused, and
reverberation times can be different in different parts of the room due to the room’s modes. The amount of diffusion can be
measured by taking reverb measurements in many different locations in the room and then taking the average of the
differences in decay times.

DOUBLING OF DISTANCE
In a free field, the sound pressure level will decrease 6 dB on a Z-weighted (i.e., unweighted) scale each time the distance
from the noise source is doubled. See Doubling of Distance.

ECHO
A reflected sound producing a distinct repetition of the original sound that reaches the listener when the delay is >0.01
seconds after the direct sound. The reflecting object must be at an average of about 60 feet in order for an echo to be
heard.

ECHO FLUTTER
An echo flutter can be heard as a ringing effect caused when a sound bounces back and forth between two hard, flat
parallel surfaces within a room. Echo flutters can be controlled with diffusers and sound absorbing products. Also known as
a Flutter Echo.

EQUAL LOUDNESS CONTOURS

A measure of sound pressure over the frequency spectrum represented by curves on a graph for which a listener perceives
the different frequencies to be at equal volumes. Human hearing is less sensitive at low frequencies whereas high
frequencies above 2000 Hz at higher volumes can be more annoying.

FLANKING
An indirect path of sound transmission traveling around a partition or barrier within a building reducing the STC significantly.
Some examples of flanking paths are noise under doors, electrical conduit penetrations in the partition, window mullions,
back to back electrical boxes, ductwork and ceiling plenums, as well as shared walls, floors, and ceilings.

FREE FIELD
Sound waves not varying in magnitude according to direction of measurement in a sound environment that is free from all
bounding surfaces or obstructions.

FREQUENCY
The number of cycles per second of a given tone. Acoustical frequency is normally measured in units called Hertz (Hz). One
Hz is 1 cycle per second, two Hz is 2 cycles per second, and so on.

FREQUENCY ANALYSIS
An analysis of a sound to determine the character (the volume of sounds at various frequencies) that make up the overall
sound’s spectrum, i. e., higher frequency sound or pitch versus low frequency sound or pitch. A sound is rarely composed of
a single pure frequency.

HEARING IMPAIRMENT
Any degree, full or partial, of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound. Sound waves vary in frequency and amplitude.
Hearing loss can be caused by age, illness, or by exposure to excessively high noise levels. Environments with longer
reverberation times make it harder for those with hearing loss to understand conversation.

HEARING RANGE
An average young person’s hearing range is from as low as 16-20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. With human speech being from 600 Hz
to 4800 Hz. Men tend to lose their hearing range quicker than women as they age with the highest frequency of an average
middle aged person being between 12,000 to 14,000 Hz.

HERTZ
The unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second.

IMPACT SOUND
Sound generated by the collision of the two solid objects and carried through a structure. Examples are footsteps, dropped
objects, and slamming doors.

LIVE END/DEAD END

An acoustical treatment plan usually for performance purposes, where one end of the performance space is highly
absorbent and the other end is more reflective or diffused. As an example, in a good theater, the stage would be the DEAD
END so that the performer could hear the purest sound produced. The audience would be in the LIVE END of the theater
and be able to enjoy the warm sound produced by the reverberation and diffusion of the performance as its sound works
with the room’s acoustic treatments.

LOUDNESS
A subjective measurement of the perception of a sound’s intensity and duration and can be ranked from soft to loud.
Loudness depends on sound pressure, intensity, and frequency. Every 10 dB is roughly a doubling or halving of loudness.
Also known as intensity.

MASKING
The ability or process in which one sound makes the ear incapable of hearing another sound. Most commonly used in open
office environments to help speech privacy and are more commonly and less accurately known as “white noise” or “pink
noise.”

MASS
The weight of a given material in a given volume. Generally the heavier or denser a material is, the more sound it will stop
and the higher the Transmission Loss (TL) will be. It is harder for a sound wave to move a heavy (high mass) wall than a
light (lower mass) wall.

MASS LAW
For every doubling of mass, there is a 6 dB improvement of transmission loss. For example, if you were to measure a stand
alone single layer of 5/8″ drywall (not attached to a wall of any kind) compared to 2 layers of 5/8″ drywall wall, a TL gain of 6
dB would be seen. If you were to double the mass again, going from 2 to 4 layers of 5/8″ drywall (again, not an actual wall,
just drywall), the TL would again improve +6 dB. Note that this DOES NOT mean that adding another sheet of drywall to an
existing wall gives you +6 dB. You would have to double the weight of the entire wall, which includes studs and insulation.

NOISE
In acoustics, Noise is described as any sound in the acoustic domain both wanted and unwanted. While music and birds
chirping are examples of wanted sounds, noise is more commonly used in reference to unwanted sounds such as traffic,
airplane, industrial, and other annoying sounds. Noise does not have to be excessively loud to be annoying or cause
interference.

NOISE CRITERIA (NC)

NC is determined by NC Curves which are a series of curves of octave-band spectra, used to provide a single number
rating of the noisiness of an indoor space. The room’s octave-band spectrum is compared with this set of curves to
determine the NC level of the room and illustrates the extent to which unwanted noise such as mechanical or HVAC noise
interferes with speech intelligibility.
NOISE ISOLATION CLASS
A single-number rating of building elements such as acoustical ceilings and acoustical screens for speech privacy purposes
derived from the measured values of noise reduction between two enclosed spaces that are connected between one or
more paths that cannot be isolated such as open office environments. NIC has been replaced by Articulation Class (AC).

NOISE MITIGATION
Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution.

NOISE REDUCTION (NR)

The average amount of reduced sound pressure level (SPL) measured in decibels (dB) on a logarithmic basis between two
rooms separated by a wall with a sound source in one room and the measurement taken in the other room. NR is also used
to determine the reduction of SPL caused by an absorbent material before and after it is introduced into a room with a
sound source.

NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENT (NRC)

An arithmetic average of an acoustic material to the nearest multiple of 0.05 of four sound absorption coefficients at
frequencies of 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz. An NRC of 0 = perfect reflection and an NRC of 1 = perfect
absorption. NRC is based on human speech frequencies therefore providing a simple scale of how well a surface material
will absorb the human voice.

OCTAVE BANDS
Sounds that contain energy over a wide range of frequencies are divided into sections called bands. An octave is the
interval between two discrete frequencies having a frequency ratio of two. For instance, frequencies of 50 Hz and 100 Hz
are said to be separated by one octave. The 10 most commonly used octave bands are centered at the following
frequencies: 31.5 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz, 8000 Hz, and 16,000 Hz.

1/3 OCTAVE BANDS

Though similar to Octave Bands, except that each of the Octave Bands are split into three. Usually with the most commonly
used Octave Bands as the middle frequency. This yields a more detailed description of the frequency content of the sound
source being measured. For example, the 1000 Hz Octave Band is divided into 800 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 1250 Hz. 1/3 Octave
Bands to cover the same frequency range of the original 1000 Hz Octave Band. 1/3 Octave Bands are useful in many
building acoustic and environmental applications as well as the measurement of many noise control products.

OITC
Acronym for Outdoor Indoor Transmission Class and covers a range from 80 Hz to 4000 Hz. Though similar to STC, this
method is used to rate the amount of Transmission Loss (TL) of a partition or wall from outside to inside such as
determining how much traffic noise an exterior wall can stop. OITC is an A-Weighted number and is expressed in dB as
opposed to STC which uses points.

PHON
A unit of measurement of perceived sound or loudness. 1 Phon is equal to 1 dBSPL at a frequency of 1000 Hz.

PINK NOISE
A random signal of every frequency in which each higher octave drops off 3 dB. The lower octaves have more power, and
the higher octaves have less power. Pink noise is used to test loudspeakers and “tune” a room for optimum audio
reproduction or masking systems.

PLENIUM
An open cavity between a given space’s deck and dropped ceiling or an enclosed space not for human occupancy
purposes in buildings. Most open office designs have open plenums for electrical and HVAC purposes and are a flanking
path for sound transmission.

REFLECTION
Sound wave energy that strikes and bounces off a surface through which it cannot pass. Harder and non-porous surfaces,
such as a painted concrete wall, are more reflective than soft porous surfaces, such as an acoustical panel. Sound
reflection can be used to enhance the quality (intelligibility) of music and speech.

RESONANCE
Every item has a natural frequency of vibration, which is determined by a combination of factors such as mass and stiffness.
Changing a factor will change the resonance frequency. It is much easier to get an object to vibrate at its resonance point.
In acoustics, an airborne frequency can be amplified due to the reinforcement of a partition vibrating at resonance. Also as
an example, if a wall is resonating at 100 Hz, frequencies around 100 Hz will pass much more readily through that wall.

RESONANCE REGION
The frequency at which the entire partition or wall assembly resonates. This frequency is dependent on cavity depth,
insulation, mass, etc.

REVERBERATION
The perpetuation of sound wave energy in an enclosed space after the original sound source has stopped. After this original
sound source has stopped, the sound wave energy will continue to be reflected and absorbed until it looses enough energy
to die out. More reverberation can be good for music, but poor for speech intelligibility.

REVERBERATION TIME
The time it takes in seconds for a sound to decay 60 dB or one-millionth of its original sound level after the source has
stopped in an enclosed space. Commonly referred to as RT60. See Reverberation Time.

SABIN
A measure or unit used to measure the amount of sound absorption of a room or acoustic material. 1 metric Sabin is equal
to the value of 1 square meter of 100% absorbing material. Named in honor of Wallace Clement Sabine (1868-1919) who
developed the formula allowing for the calculation of reverb time within a space prior to construction.

SEPTUM
In acoustics, a thin layer of material such as foil, steel, or lead that helps prevent sound waves from passing through an
absorptive material

SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO

The comparison of the level of desired signal such as speech and music to the level of background or unwanted noise. The
higher the ratio, the lower the background or unwanted noise interferes with the desired signal.

SINE WAVE
A continuous uniform (sound) wave having a constant amplitude and frequency.

SOUND
Vibrational mechanical energy that propagates as a wave through matter such as air and water and is defined by the
properties of sound waves which are frequency, amplitude, wavelength, intensity, period, speed, and direction. The speed
of sound depends on the temperature and medium it travels through. The average speed of sound through the air at sea
level and at 20ºC (68º F) is 343 m/s (Roughly 767 mph).
SOUND ABSORPTION
The property of materials such as air, walls, or acoustic panels that changes sound wave energy into heat energy. When a
sound wave hits a surface, that which is not reflected is absorbed.

SOUND ABSORPTION COEFFICIENT

This defines the amount of sound energy absorbed by a given material. As an example, if a material being tested reflects
75% of the sound energy striking that material, the Sound Absorption Coefficient would be 0.25.

SOUND BARRIER
In acoustics, a sound barrier is any material or structure that is placed around a sound source to impede the transmission of
the noise beyond the barrier. A poor acoustical environment, such as a room with a long reverberation time, can be a
“barrier” to speech intelligibility or good hearing.

SOUND LEVEL
A subjective measure of sound or Sound Pressure Level (SPL) expressed in decibels (db) as a comparison corresponding
to familiar sounds experienced in a variety of situations.

SOUND LEVEL METER

An instrument containing a microphone, amplifier, output meter, and various frequency-weighting settings used to measure
sound levels or noises at different frequencies.

SOUND PRESSURE
The varying difference between the instantaneous pressure of a sound wave at a point in space and the static atmosphere
pressure at that point.

SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL (SPL)

Expressed in decibles (dB), SPL of a sound is 20 times the logarithm to the base 0 of the ration of the sound pressure to the
reference pressure. The reference pressure shall be explicitly stated and is defined by standards.

SOUNDPROOFING
Building materials, elements in construction, and design features that make structures more impervious to sound
transmission from room to room or from the outside to inside of buildings.

SOUND ATTENUATION
Reducing the intensity of the sound pressure level of sound, which is transmitted from one point to another.

SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS (STC)

A method for a single number ranking of walls, doors, windows, noise barriers, partitions, and other acoustic products
measured over 16 frequencies ranging from 125 Hz to 4000 Hz, assuming that the noise source is generally even across
the frequency spectrum. STC involves measuring transmission loss (TL) at various frequency bands of a generated sound
source from one room to another separated by teh median that is being tested. STC is not a very good rating system for
most real world situations which generate sound in frequencies lower than 125 Hz such as traffic noise, machinery noise,
and many music systems like those found in today’s home theaters. Again, STC does not consider low frequencies in its
calculation, so a “high STC” wall could very well perform poorly in the problematic lower frequencies.

SOUND SPECTRUM
The representation of a sound’s wave components of a frequency and amplitude. A sound spectrum is a representation of
that sound in terms of the amount of vibration at each individual frequency.
SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY
The ability for the human ear to correctly understand the spoken word in a given environment such as an open office plan,
and rated from 0.01 to 1.00 as defined by the Articulation Index. The higher the number, the higher the intelligibility of the
spoken word in a sentence from 0 to 100%.

SPEECH PRIVACY
The extent that speech becomes unintelligible between rooms or spaces like offices and conference rooms usually found in
an open office plan. The three ratings used are: Confidential (Very Private), Normal (Non-Obtrusive), and Minimal (Poor or
Low Privacy).

TIME WEIGHTED AVERAGE (TWA)

The guideline used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to measure noise levels in the workplace.
Exposure to loud noise over a long time can cause hearing damage. If the TWA noise level, which is the average sound
level over 8 hours, is exceeding 85 dBA, a hearing conservation program is required. The table below shows the equivalent
amount of noise and exposure time equal to 8 hours of exposure.

ULTRASOUND
Sound pressures with frequencies greater than the upper limit of human hearing which is approximately 20,000 Hz (20 KHz)
to 25,000 Hz (25 KHz).

VIBRATION
Mechanical periodic or random oscillations about some specified reference or equilibrium point. Vibration is expressed in
terms of frequency or number of cycles that occur in a given time period such as Hertz (Hz), cycles per second (cps), cycles
per minute (cpm), rotations per minute (rpm), and strokes per minute (spm). A few examples are drums, tuning forks,
engines, or the imbalance of a rotating object like in a washing machine.

VIBRATION ISOLATOR
A resilient support which accomplishes the process of isolating an object from the source of vibrations. An example would
be the use of a Vibration Isolator to keep the vibration of a roof top HVAC unit from transferring to the building.

VOLUME
In acoustics, volume is similar to loudness in that it is a subjective measurement of the perception of a sound’s intensity and
duration and can be ranked from soft to loud. Loudness depends on sound pressure, intensity, and frequency. In
architecture, volume is the cubic space of a given enclosued space by using the calculation Volume = Space Length x
Space Width x Space Height.

WAVELENGTH
The distance between two identical crests in a sound wave or cycle. Wavelength can be easily pictured as the wave ripples
in water from a tossed stone. Sound wavelengths vary by frequency. The higher the sound frequency, the shorter the
wavelength. These frequencies are more quickly dissipated and easier to control whereas lower end frequencies produce
longer wavelengths which take longer to dissipate and are harder to control. Low end frequencies with long wavelengths
emanate from sound sources that cause most noise complaints such as traffic noise and many music systems like those
found in today’s home theaters.

WHITE NOISE
A random signal in which all frequencies in all bands have equal power.
Impact Insulation Class (IIC) is a single number rating used to compare and evaluate the performance of floor/ceiling
assemblies measured in an acoustic laboratory. Field Impact Insulation Class (FIIC) is a single number rating used to
compare and evaluate the performance of floor/ceiling assemblies (and associated structure).
Acoustical Glossary of Terms
This glossary of terms has been provided with a brief description, for the most part in non technical terms in an effort to
remove some of the mystery surrounding Acoustics. While the explanations may not be totally correct in their literal
interpretations it is hoped that the plain language approach will provide a better understanding of the terminology frequently
used in the field of acoustics.

ACOUSTICS: The science of Sound. Its production, transmission and effects. The branch of physics that treats the phenomena and laws
of sounds as it effects people.

ACOUSTICAL: The properties of a material to absorb or reflect Sound (adjective) Acoustically, (Adverb).

ACOUSTICAL ANALYSIS: A review of a space to determine the level of reverberation or reflected sound in the space (in seconds)
influenced by the building materials used to construct the space. Also the amount of acoustical absorption required to reduce
reverberation and noise.

ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT: A professional usually with an engineering degree who is experienced in providing advice on acoustical
requirements, and noise control in a variety of situations.

ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENT: The acoustical characteristics of a space or room influenced by the amount of acoustical absorption, or
lack of it in the space.

AIRBORNE NOISE: Noise that arrives at a point of interest by propagation through the air.

AIRBORNE SOUND: Sound that reaches the point of interest by propagation through air.

ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS: The control of noise in a building space to adequately support the communications function within the
space and its effect on the occupants. The qualities of the building materials used determine its character with respect to distinct hearing.

ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS: Deals with sound in rooms and building to make them quiet – or to provide improved conditions for
listening and understanding speech or music.

ARTICULATION CLASS: A single number rating used for comparing acoustical ceilings and acoustical screens for speech privacy
purposes. AC values increase with increasing privacy and range from approximately 100-250. This classification supercedes Speech
Privacy Noise Isolation Class (NIC) rating method.

ARTICULATION INDEX (AI): A measure of speech intelligibility influenced by Acoustical Environment rated from 0.01 to 1.00.The higher
the number the higher the intelligibility of words and sentences understood from 0-100%.
ABSORPTION: The properties of a material composition to convert sound energy into heat thereby reducing the amount of energy that
can be reflected.

AREA EFFECT: Acoustical materials spaced apart can have greater absorption than same amount of material butted together. The
increase in efficiency is due to absorption by soft exposed edges and also to diffraction of sound energy around panel perimeters.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICE: An electronic device that provides amplification of sound to a hearing impaired person. Device include
personal hearing aids, magnetic induction loops, FM radio systems and infrared systems. All have advantages and disadvantages and
some may be dependent on good acoustical environment for optimal performance.

ATTENUATION: The reduction of sound energy as a function of distance traveled. (See also Inverse Square Law).

A WEIGHTING: An electronic filtering system in a sound meter that allows meter to largely ignore lower frequency sounds in a similar
fashion to the way our ears do.

AMBIENT NOISE/SOUND: Noise level in a space from all sources such as HVAC or extraneous sounds from outside the space.
Masking sound or low-level background music can contribute to ambient level of sound or noise.

BACKGROUND NOISE: The sum total of all noise generated from all direct and reflected sound sources in a space that can represent
an interface to good listening and speech intelligibility. (Hearing impaired persons are especially victimized by background noise).

BAFFLE: A free hanging acoustical sound absorbing unit. Normally suspended vertically in a variety of patterns to introduce absorption
into a space to reduce reverberation and noise levels.

BARRIER: Anything physical or an environment that interferes with communication or listening. A poor acoustical environment can be a
barrier to good listening and especially so for persons with a hearing impairment.

BEL: A measurement of sound intensity named in honor of Alexander Graham Bell. First used to relate intensity to a level corresponding
to hearing sensation.

BOOMINESS: Low frequency reflections. In small rooms acoustical panels with air space behind can better help control low frequency
reflectivity.

CLOUD: In acoustical industry terms, an acoustical panel suspended in a horizontal position from ceiling/roof structure. Similar to a
baffle but in a horizontal position.

COCKTAIL PARTY EFFECT: Sound in a noisy crowded room generated mostly by conversation. Levels rise and fall as people compete
 with one another to be heard. Perception of speech can be nearly impossible in high levels of noise.

COCHLEA: A snail shaped mechanism in the inner ear that contain hair cells of basilar membrane that vibrate to aid in frequency
recognition.

CYCLE: In acoustics, the cycle is the complete oscillation of pressure above and below the atmospheric static pressure.

CYCLES PER SECOND: The number of oscillations that occur in the time frame of one second. (See FREQUENCY.) Low frequency
sounds have fewer and longer oscillations.

DAMPING: The dissipation of vibratory energy in solid media and structures with time or distance. It is analogous to the absorption of
sound in air.

DECIBEL (dB): Sound level in decibels as a logarithmic ratio. Sound intensity described in decibels. i.e.:

1. Breathing – 5 dB
2. Office Activity – 50 dB
3. Jet Aircraft During Takeoff at 300′ Distance – 130 dB

DEFLECTION: The distance an elastic body or spring moves when subjected to a static or dynamic force. Typical units are inches or
mm.

DEAF: Loss of auditory sensation with or without use of assistive listening device. Loss of hearing more severe than is generally
characterized as “Hearing Impaired”.

DIFFUSION: The scattering or random reflection of a sound wave from a surface. The directions of reflected sound is changed so that
listeners may have sensation of sound coming from all directions at equal levels.

EAR: An incredible hearing mechanism consisting of outer, middle and inner ear segments that cause sound pressures to be picked up
by the ear that are transmitted through auditory nerves where signals are interpreted by brain as sound.

ECHO: Reflected sound producing a distinct repetition of the original sound. Echo in mountains is distinct by reason of distance of travel
after original signal has ceased.

ECHO FLUTTER: Short echoes in a small reverberative spaces that produce a clicking, ringing or hissing sound after the original sound
signal has ceased. Flutter echoes may be present in long narrow spaces with parallel walls.

EQUAL LOUDNESS CONTOURS: Curves represented in graph form as a function of sound level and frequency which listeners
 perceive as being equally loud. High frequency sounds above 2000 Hz are more annoying. Human hearing is less sensitive to low
frequency sound. (See also PHON.)

FLAME SPREAD: Classification indicating propagation of flame across a sample compared to flame propagation across concrete panels
and red oak. Results are obtained through an ASTM E84 or UL723 test.

FLANKING: The transmission of sound around the perimeter or through holes within partitions (or barriers) that reduces the otherwise
obtainable sound transmission loss of a partition. Examples of flanking paths within buildings are ceiling plena above partitions;
ductwork, piping, and electrical conduit penetrations through partitions; back-to-back electrical boxes within partitions, window mullions,
etc.

FIELD SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS (FSTC): A sound transmission rating obtained under “real-life” conditions. The general method
to obtain this rating is almost the same as the method used in laboratory conditions. Procedures, however, have been added to take into
account the differences between field conditions and laboratory conditions (e.g. flanking paths, absorption, modal distribution, etc.).

FREE FIELD: Sound waves from a source outdoors where there are no obstructions.

FREQUENCY: The number of oscillations or cycles per unit of time. Acoustical frequency is usually expressed in units of Hertz (Hz)
where one Hz is equal to one cycle per second.

FREQUENCY ANALYSIS: An analysis of sound to determine the character of the sound by determining the amount of sounds at various
frequencies that make up the overall sound spectrum. i.e.: Higher Frequency Sound or Pitch vs. Low Frequency.

HEARING IMPAIRMENT: A degree of hearing loss, temporary or permanent due to many causes. Hearing loss can be caused by
illness, disease, or by exposure to excessively high noise levels. Affects 25-50 million people in USA of all ages. Hearing impairment as
generally used means a hearing loss of a mild, moderate, or severe degree as apposed to “Deafness” which is generally described as
little or no residual hearing with or without the aid of an assistive listening device. Hearing Impaired persons are particularly victimized by
long reverberation times.

HEARING RANGE:

1. 16-20000 Hz (Speech Intelligibility)

2. 600-4800 Hz (Speech Privacy)
3. 250-2500 Hz (Typical Small Table Radio)

HERTZ (Hz): Frequency of sound expressed by cycles per second. (See CYCLE).

IMPACT ISOLATION CLASS (IIC): The methods to measure the degree of impact noise isolation provided by a floor/ceiling assembly,
 in laboratory conditions, are described in the ASTM E 492 or ISO 140/6 standards. For field measurements refer to ASTM E 1007 or ISO
140/7. The impacts for these measurements are produced by the “Standard Tapping Machine”, an electrically operated mechanism
consisting of five 0.5 kg hammers which fall regularly and freely onto floor surface from 40 mm height at a rate of 10 impacts/second. The
sound pressure levels generated in the room directly below the floor/ceiling assembly undergoing testing are then measured, for each of
the 16 third-octave-bands between 100 Hz and 3150 Hz, and they are normalized according to:

1. An absorption equal to 10 metric Sabins, or

2. A reverberation time of 0.5 seconds (ISO 140/7)

The Normalized Impact Sound Pressure Levels (NISPL) are then plotted on a standard graph.

The IIC rating of the tested floor/ceiling assemblers determined by sliding the classification curve on the graph representing the
normalized sound pressure levels, until the following conditions described in the ASTM E 989 (ISO 717/2) standards, are met:

1. The sum of the deviations above the normalizing curve should not exceed 32 dB.
2. The maximum deviation above the normalizing curve should not exceed 8 dB (see previous note on the classification of the isolation of
airborne noise according to the ISO standard).

When the IIC contour is positioned in such a way that these two requirements are satisfied the Impact Isolation Class (IIC) can be
obtained by reading the normalized impact sound pressure level at the intersection of the IIC contour frequencies of 500 Hz and by
subtracting this value from the number 110.

IMPACT SOUND: The sound produced by the collision of two solid objects. Typical sources are footsteps, dropped objects, etc., on an
interior surface (wall, floor, or ceiling) of a building.

INTENSITY: (See LOUDNESS).

INVERSE SQUARE LAW: Sound levels fall off with distance traveled. Sound level drops off 6 dB from source point for every doubling of
distance.

LIVE END/DEAD END: An acoustical treatment plan for rooms in which one end is highly absorbent and the other end is reflective and
diffusive.

LOUDNESS: The average deviation above and below the static value due to sound wave is called sound pressure. The energy
expended during the sound wave vibration is called intensity and is measured in intensity units. Loudness is the physical resonance to
sound pressure and intensity.

MASKING: The process by which the threshold of hearing of one sound is raised due to the presence of another.

MASS: The fundamental property of a material relevant to sound transmission loss through that material. Generally, the more massive
the material, the greater the sound transmission loss.
 MOUNTING: Standards established by ASTM to represent typical installation for purpose of testing materials. i.e.: a mounting test
specimen mounted directly to test room surface. D mounting furred out to produce air space behind.

NOISE: Unwanted sound that is annoying or interferes with listening. Not all noise needs to be excessively loud to represent an
annoyance or interference.

NOISE CRITERIA (NC): Noise criteria curves used to evaluate existing listening conditions at ear level by measuring sound levels at
loudest locations in a room. NC criteria can be referred to equivalent dBA levels. NC curves are critical to persons with hearing loss.

NOISE ISOLATION CLASS (NIC): A single number rating of the degree of speech privacy achieved through the use of an acoustical
ceiling and sound absorbing screens in an open office. NIC has been replaced by the Articulation Class (AC) rating method.

NORMALIZED NOISE ISOLATION CLASS (NNIC): The Normalized Noise Isolation Class (NNIC) rating is obtained by applying the
ASTM E 413 classifiction standards to the Normalized Noise Reduction (NNR) values measured on a partition.

NORMALIZED NOISE REDUCTION (NNR): Noise Reduction normalized as a function of a 0.5 second reverberation time in the
receiving room. Where:

1. NNR = NR + 10 log (RT/0.5)

2. NNR = Normalized Noise Reduction
3. NR = Noise Reduction
4. RT = Reverberation Time in the Receiving Room

NOISE REDUCTION (NR): The amount of noise that is reduced through the introduction of sound absorbing materials. The level (in
decibels) of sound reduced on a logarithmic basis.

NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENT (NRC): The NRC of an acoustical material is the arithmetic average to the nearest multiple of 0.05
of its absorption coefficients at 4 one third octave bands with center frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 Hertz.

OCTAVE BANDS: Sounds that contain energy over a wide range of frequencies are divided into sections called bands. A common
standard division is in 10 octave bands identified by their center frequencies 31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz.

OTO: Pertaining to the ear.

OTOLOGIST: A doctor specializing in the structor, disorders and treratment of the ear.

OTOLARYNGOLIST: A doctor specializing in disorders and treatment of the ear nose and throat disorders.
PHON: Loudness contours. A subjective impression of equal loudness by listeners as a function of frequency and sound level (dB). An
increase in low frequency sound will be perceived as being much louder than an equivalent high frequency increase.

PITCH: The perceived auditory sensation of sounds expressed in terms of high or low frequency stimulus of the sound.

PRESBYCUSIS: The loss of hearing due primarily to the aging process. High frequency loss is frequently a result of early hearing loss.

REFLECTION: The amount of sound wave energy (sound) that is reflected off a surface. Hard non-porous surfaces reflect more sound
than soft-porous surfaces. Some sound reflection can enhance quality of signal of speech and music. (See Echo).

RESONANCE: The emphasis of sound at a particular frequency.

RESONANT FREQUENCY: A frequency at which resonance exists.

REVERBERATION: The time taken for sound to decay 60 dB to 1/1,000,000 of its original sound level after the sound source has
stopped. Sound after it has ended will continue to reflect off surfaces until the wave loses enough energy by absorption to eventually die
out. Reverberation time is the basic acoustical property of a room which depends only on its dimensions and the absorptive properties of
its surfaces and contents. Reverberation has an important impact on speech intelligibility.

REVERBERATION TIME: Sound after it is ended at the source will continue to reflect off surfaces until the sound wave loses energy by
absorption to eventually die out.

SABIN: A unit of sound absorption based of one square foot of material. Baffles are frequently described as providing X number of
sabins of absorption based on the size of the panel tested, through the standard range of frequencies 125-4000 Hz. The number of
sabins developed by other acoustical materials are determined by the amount of material used and its absorption coefficients.

SABINE FORMULA: A formula developed by Wallace Clement Sabine that allows designers to plan reverberation time in a room in
advance of construction and occupancy. Defined and improved empirically the Sabine Formula is T=0.049(V/A) where T = reverberation
time or time required (for sound to decay 60 dB after source has stopped) in seconds. V = Volume of room in cubic feet. A = Total square
footage of absorption in sabins.

SEPTUM: A thin layer of material between 2 layers of absorptive material. i.e.: foil, lead, steel, etc. that prevents sound wave from
piercing through absorptive material.

SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO: Is the sound level at the listeners ear of a speaker above the background noise level. The inverse square
law impacts on the S/N ratio. Signal to Noise Ratios are important in classrooms and should be in range of 15 to 20 dB.
SMOKE DEVELOPED INDEX: Classification that relates to a comparison of smoke development of a particular material compared to
concrete panels and red oak. Results are obtained through an ASTM E84 or UL723 test.

SOUND: Sound is an oscillation in pressure, stress particle displacement, particle velocity in a medium – in room temperature. (In air
speed of sound is 1125′/second or one mile in 5 seconds.) Sound produces an auditory sensation caused by the oscillation.

SOUND ABSORPTION: The property possessed by materials, objects and air to convert sound energy into heat. Sound waves reflected
by a surface causes a loss of energy. That energy not reflected is called its absorption coefficient.

SOUND ABSORPTION COEFFICIENT: The fraction of energy striking a material or object that is not reflected. For instance if a material
reflects 70% of the sound energy incident upon its surface, then its Sound Absorption Coefficient would be 0.30.

SOUND BARRIER: A material that when placed around a source of noise inhibits the transmission of that noise beyond the barrier. Also,
anything physical or an environment that interferes with communication or listening. For example, a poor acoustical environment can be
a barrier to good listening and especially so for persons with a hearing impairment.

SOUND LEVEL: A subjective measure of sound expressed in decibels as a comparison corresponding to familiar sounds experienced in
a variety of situations.

SOUND PRESSURE: The total instantaneous pressure at a point in space, in the presence of a sound wave, minus the static pressure
at that point.

SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL: The sound pressure level, in decibels, of a sound is 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of
the sound pressure to the reference pressure. The reference pressure shall be explicitly stated and is defined by standards.

SOUNDPROOFING: Building materials that make structures impervious to sound or insulates against sound.

SOUND LEVEL METER: A device that converts sound pressure variations in air into corresponding electronic signals. The signals are
filtered to exclude signals outside frequencies desired.

SPEECH: The act of speaking. Communication of thoughts and feelings by spoken words.

SPEECH PRIVACY: The degree to which speech is unintelligible between offices. Three ratings are used, Confidential, Normal (Non
obtrusive), Minimal.

SPL: SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL: Quantity used to describe the loudness of a sound. The sound pressure level is expressed in
decibels and is measured with a sound level meter. For example, a converstaion between two people inside an average-size room will
produce an average “A” weighted sound pressure level of 50 to 55 lb.
 SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS (STC): A single-number rating obtained by classifying the measured values of Sound Transmission
Loss in accordance with ASTM Standard E 413, “Classification for Sound Rating Insulations”. It provides a quick indication of the
performance of a partition for certain common sound insulation problems.

To determine the Sound Transmission Class (STC) in conformance to the ASTM E 413 (lSO 71 7/1) one must slide the STC contour
along its Y-axis of the graph on which the transmission loss curve is plotted until the following conditions are met:

1. The sum of the deviation below the STC contour does not exceed 32 dB.
2. No deviation below the STC contour exceeds 8 dB.

Note: The ISO standard excludes this last requirement. One should indicate however in the test report, the frequencies a which a
difference of 8 dB or more occurs between the noise reduction curve and the STC contour.

When the STC contour is positioned in such a way that these two requirements are satisfied the sound transmission class can be
obtained by reading the transmission loss value at the intersection of the STC contour at the frequency of 500 Hz. This value
corresponds to the STC of the partition.

SOUND TRANSMISSION LOSS (TL): The difference between the sound power level incident on a partition and that transmitted through
that partition.

1. TL = LW incident−LW transmitted TL = NR + 10 log S/A OR

2. TL = Sound Transmission Loss WHERE:
1. LW = Sound Power Level
2. NR = Noise Reduction
3. S = Surface area of the partition
4. A = Acoustical absorption present in by the receiving room (in Sabins)

The standards for measuring Sound Transmission Loss are:

Laboratory Measurements: ASTM E 90 ISO 140/1, /2, /3
Field Measurements: ASTM E 336 ISO 140/4, /5

The Sound Transmission Loss (TL) of a partition can be obtained in laboratory conditions by following the guidelines given below, in
conformance to the ASTM E 90 standard.

1. For each one-third-octave-band, measure the noise reduction (NR) provided by the partition.
2. Measure the quantity of acoustical absorption in the receiving room (where the sound power levels are transmitted).
3. Transform the values of noise reduction to sound transmission loss, using the correction 10*log (S/A).

SOUNDPROOFING: Building materials that make any structure impervious to sound or, insulates against the transmission or production
of unwanted sound (noise).
SPECTRUM: The description of a sound wave’s components of frequency and amplitude.

STRUCTURE BORNE NOISE: Noise that arrives at a point of interest by propagation through a solid structure.

TIME WEIGHTED AVERAGE (TWA): The yardstick used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to measure
noise levels in the workplace. It is equal to a constant sound level lasting eight hours that would cause the same hearing damage as the
variable noises that a worker is actually exposed to. (This hearing loss, of course, occurs over long-term exposures.) Same as LOSHA.

ULTRASOUNDS: Sounds of a frequency higher than 20,000 Hz. The frequency region containing these frequencies is called the
ultrasonic region.

VIBRATION: A force which oscillates about some specified reference point. Vibration is commonly expressed in terms of frequency such
as cycles per second (cps), Hertz (Hz), cycles per Minute (cpm) or (rpm) and Strokes per Minute (spm). This is the number of oscillations
which occurs in that time period. The amplitude is the magnitude or distance of travel of the force.

VIBRATION ISOLATOR: A resilient support that tends to isolate a mechanical system from steady state excitation.

VOLUME: The Cubic space of a room bounded by walls, floors, and ceilings determined by Volume = Length × Width × Height of space.
Volume influences reverberation time.

WAVELENGTH: Sound that passes through air it produces a wavelike motion of compression and Parefaction. Wavelength is the
distance between two identical positions in the cycle or wave. Similar to ripples or waves produced by dropping two stones in water.
Length of sound wave varies with frequency. Low frequency equals longer wavelengths.

Q5.

The human ear is most sensitive to and most easily detects frequencies of 1,000 to 4,000 hertz, but at least for normal young ears the
entire audible range of sounds extends from about 20 to 20,000 hertz. Sound waves of still higher frequency are referred to as ultrasonic,
although they can be heard by other mammals.

Reflection of sound:-

When sound travels in a given medium, it strikes the surface of another medium and bounces back in some other direction, this
phenomenon is called thereflection of sound. The waves are called the incident and reflected sound waves.

Absorbton of sound:- Acoustic absorption refers to the process by which a material, structure, or object takes in sound energy
when sound waves are encountered, as opposed to reflecting the energy. Part of the absorbed energy is transformed into heat and part
is transmitted through the absorbing body.

Transmission of sound :-
The passage of sound from one point to another, e.g., from one room in a building to another, or from the street into aroom in the building.