MODULE 1 OF 6

Sound & Acoustics

The physics of sound waves, propagation, frequency, amplitude, and harmonic content.

What is Sound?

Sound is a mechanical wave propagating through a medium—air, water, or solids. Unlike light, sound requires particles to travel.

When an object vibrates, it creates alternating regions of compression (high pressure) and rarefaction (low pressure) that ripple outward.

Measured in Hz, determines pitch. Human hearing: 20 Hz – 20 kHz.

Magnitude of pressure change = loudness. Measured in decibels (dB).

Distance between peaks. Inversely proportional to frequency.

Harmonic content that gives each instrument its unique "colour."

A vibrating string produces not just one frequency but a series of related harmonics—integer multiples of the fundamental.

The relative strength of these harmonics creates each instrument's unique timbre.