The Physics of Sound Waves (Second Edition)
Music, instruments, and sound equipment
By (author) Panos Photinos
Publication date:
12 August 2021Length of book:
268 pagesPublisher
Institute Of Physics PublishingDimensions:
254x178mm7x10"
ISBN-13: 9780750335379
The Physics of Sound Waves: Music, Instruments, and Sound Equipment, Second Edition describes the properties of sound waves as they relate to the production of sound by musical instruments, the perception and interpretation of sound, fast Fourier transform analysis, recording and reproduction of musical sounds, and the quality of sound in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Graphics and animations are used to explain sound production in strings, percussion and wind instruments, and this knowledge is applied to describe selected instruments. Each chapter has topics for further discussion and concludes with questions and problems. Solutions for all questions and problems as well as a mathematical description of waves are provided in the appendix.
Key Features
- Provides the basic understanding of musical sounds and the nature of sound waves.
- Includes musical scales with examples from around the world.
- Discusses digital sounds and its relevance.
- The book provides many worked examples, and end of chapter problems with solutions in the appendix.
- Applicable equations are summarized at the end of each chapter.
Physics, among the natural sciences, and music, an art and a gift, have, in fact, a substantial and natural link between them, which motivates Photinos’ work. In this vein, he seeks to explain the physical nature of sound and music, and their several familiar properties.
New terms are introduced with clarity, and the necessary vocabulary of the topic built through lucid definitions, with particular attention to distinguishing confusingly similar terms. Brought together, these could also form an instructive glossary. Bright figures include a useful mix of diagrams, photographs, and graphs, complemented, exploiting the facility of the electronic version of the book, with audio files, although these are not necessary to enjoy the book. Each chapter concludes with a good set of exercises to ensure comprehension of the material.
For students, this is a useful book for introductory undergraduate courses, although its appeal is wider. All interested in how mere physical sound becomes music, or how music arises from the laws of nature, from whichever perspective, will find something of interest. Rejecting a dichotomy of ‘Two Cultures’, Photinos shows musically inclined physicists the artistic application of their work, and musicians of such a frame of mind the science behind their creations.
Jack Reid, Contemporary Physics, December 2022