tags: mus-407 sound sound-properties amplitude
Amplitude
Amplitude measures deviation of pressure or displacement from rest/equilibrium
- a broad, generic term
Acoustic power, measured in Watts (W) measures the rate at which energy is converted (Joules per second)
- commonly indicated on [signal] amplifiers
[Sound] intensity measures power distributed over a unit area
- power measures sound strength irrespective of source/listener locations
- intensity varies depending on distance between source and listener
Sound intensity is proportional to sound pressured squared
$10^{12}$ → the ratio of the greatest intensity we can tolerate to the smallest intensity we can perceive
- annoyingly large range of numbers to work with, resulting in the [decibel] unit
[Envelopes] are used to describe amplitude over time.