What is Acoustics?

Acoustics is defined as the science

that deals with the production,
control, transmission, reception, and
effects of sound (as defined by
Merriam-Webster). Many people
mistakenly think that acoustics is
strictly musical or architectural in
nature. While acoustics does include
the study of musical instruments and
architectural spaces, it also covers a
vast range of topics, including: noise
control, SONAR for submarine
navigation, ultrasounds for medical
imaging, thermoacoustic refigeration,
seismology, bioacoustics, and
electroacoustic communication. Below
is the so called "Lindsay's Wheel of
Acoustics", created by R. Bruce
Lindsey in J. Acoust. Soc. Am. V. 36,
p. 2242 (1964). This wheel describes

the scope of acoustics starting from

the four broad fields of Earth
Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences,
and the Arts. The outer circle lists the
various disciplines one may study to
prepare for a career in acoustics. The
inner circle lists the fields within
acoustics that the various disciplines
naturally lead to.

Curiously enough, Lindsey (himself a

physicist) didn't list physics
specifically in the outer circle. This is
likely because a background in
physics provides one with the
foundational knowledge necessary to

study nearly any of the fields of

acoustics research. In fact,
the Acoustical Society of America
(ASA) (founded in 1929) was one of
the five original societies that helped
in the formation of the American
Institute of Physics in 1931. The ASA
is composed of 13 main areas of
study called Technical Committees
(TCs):

Acoustical Oceanography (AO)

Animal Bioacoustics (AB)
Architectural Acoustics (AA)
Biomedical Ultrasound/Bioresponse
to Vibration (BB)
Engineering Acoustics (EA)
Musical Acoustics (MU)
Noise (NS)
Physical Acoustics (PA)
Psychological and Physiological
Acoustics (PP)

Signal Processing in Acoustics (SP)

Speech Communication (SC)
Structural Acoustics and Vibration
(SA)
Underwater Acoustics (UW)