Module overview
Sound shapes human experience and underpins much of modern technology. Acoustical engineers design quieter vehicles and buildings that sound better, develop the sonar that maps the ocean and the ultrasound that images the body, and reduce the noise of aircraft and wind turbines. This module is your first step into the profession, and it is built around four connected themes.
You will begin by examining what acoustical engineers do, who employs them, how their work benefits society, and the ethical responsibilities the profession carries. You will study sound perception, learning how the ear turns physical vibrations into the sensations of loudness and pitch, and how engineers measure and regulate noise. In physical acoustics, you will build mathematical models of acoustic wave motion from the fundamental laws of fluid motion, relating the pressure fluctuations we hear to the underlying motion of the air, and drawing on your Mathematics and Thermofluids studies. Finally, you will learn to program in Python to process, visualise and auralise data, creating sounds, analysing recordings and animating wave motion to bring the theory to life.
By the end of the module, you will understand sound as both a physical phenomenon and a human experience, and you will have the computational and analytical skills to explore acoustic problems for yourself. You will also appreciate the breadth of the profession and its responsibilities to society, giving you a strong foundation for advanced study in acoustics and a career in one of engineering's most diverse and creative disciplines.