Physics 382

Acoustics I: Sounds and Sources 

Fall 2003 - Course syllabus 
Text:

The Master Handbook of Acoustics, 4th ed. F. Alton Everest (McGraw-Hill, 2001)

This text provides a general-interest introduction into a some of the basics of acoustics, and a great many applications from speaker building to creating a listening room in your home.

An Introduction to Acoustics, Daniel A. Russell (available as classroom handouts)

This is a more traditional academic textbook to provide a solid theoretical spine to the work we'll do.  The satisfaction of understanding the foundation thoroughly is part of an upper-level physics course.

Other resources (check the library! some are on reserve):

Fundamentals of Acoustics, 4th ed. Kinsler, Frey, Coppens, Sanders (J. Wiley, 2000)

The Physics of Musical Instruments, 2nd ed.  Neville H. Fletcher and Thomas D. Rossing (Springer-Verlag, 1998)

Matlab is available in computer labs to work on homework problems.  We will use this programming environment to "flesh out" equations, process data, and analyze/synthesize signals.

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Course Description

The course is a survey of the study of acoustics, with fundamentals concepts and principles at the heart of sound and vibration.  The course will be somewhat unconventional, in several ways:
The last two points are part of Problem-Based Learning, and approach to course organization that stresses case studies as motivation for inquiry, and student initiative in learning.   Look here for more on PBL .
The content of this course wraps around in a spiral fashion:

We'll touch on topics in one area, circle around to another area, and another area, and so on...

Evaluation and Grading

The final grade will be calculated based on the following components:
Homework 40%
Topic Reports 25%
Midterm Exam 15%
Final Exam 20%

Homework  Frequent problem sets will be assigned.  Do these habitually and honestly.  Studying together is encouraged, but as in any team situation, you'll learn best by active and thoughtful participation.  Turn in your own work - work that reflects your own understanding.  Show your work, explain your claims, and turn in any computer code (including Matlab, Maple, etc.) Homework that is late by more than one week is not accepted.

Topic Reports  There are 6 topics that will be tackled in the context of PBL.  Each group will investigate these topics, develop a recommendation, and submit a report.  Details on the report requirements will be given in a separate page .

Midterm Exam  This is a take-home test that will be given after Week 5.  It is due Wednesday of Week 6.  This has been changed to an hour-long, in-class exam on Friday of Week 6.   More details will follow. 

Final Exam. The final exam will be given at the determined final exam time, and will cover the salient material from the entire course. This is intended to be an opportunity for you to pause and synthesize ideas.

Policies and Procedures

Motivated by the goals and objectives of the course, these policies and procedures are intended to foster a safe and constructive environment for learning physics. To maintain this kind of environment, the instructor reserves the right to take any reasonable action sanctioned by University policy, including but not limited to failure on an assignment or withdrawal of student from the course. Disruptive behavior (including excessive talking), ethnic or racial discrimination, or sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Please turn off cell phones and pagers.
Academic Integrity. I expect the highest level of academic integrity from students. The exams and homework are designed to reflect individual understanding and skill.  They are not collaborative efforts. Plagiarism (the use of another's ideas as your own) is not acceptable. Evidence of cheating, or anything contradicting these policies, may result in a score of zero on the assignment or other action at my discretion. Please know and practice the Kettering University Code of Academic Integrity, found in the student handbook.
Office Hours. I will be in my office at posted scheduled times, except under extreme circumstances. However, please feel free to visit me in my office whenever my door is open. A third alternative is a prearranged meeting set up in class, via email, or by calling my office.
Regular and prompt attendance and active class participation are so important to this course that if you miss more than two class periods, I reserve the right to withdraw you from the class roll.
Evaluation. Grading will emphasize understanding. Therefore, the process of solution may often be awarded partial and significant credit, and minutiae such as arithmetic errors carry less weight in scoring. Again, practice on homework problems will help establish habits that will score higher: solutions must demonstrate clear thinking. Appeals are welcome if you feel that a quiz, test, or exam has not been graded fairly. Extra credit may be awarded if you discover a significant error on a midterm, or final exam. Prepare your argument in writing, either by prose explanation or clearly-worked solution, then visit me personally.

Content - Revised 10 September 2003

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