For adults, a short review of the physics underlying music theory.

Provides acoustical background necessary to understand the role of sound in speech communication. Analyzes constraints imposed by the properties of sound and human anatomy on speech production (sound production from airflow and filtering by the vocal tract); auditory physiology (transformation of acoustical waves in the air to mechanical vibrations of cochlear structures); and sound perception (spatial hearing, masking, and auditory frequency selectivity). The Acoustics of Speech and Hearing is an H-Level graduate course that reviews the physical processes involved in the production, propagation and reception of human speech. Particular attention is paid to how the acoustics and mechanics of the speech and auditory system define what sounds we are capable of producing and what sounds we can sense. Areas of discussion include: 1. the acoustic cues used in determining the direction of a sound source, 2. the acoustic and mechanical mechanisms involved in speech production and 3. the acoustic and mechanical mechanism used to transduce and analyze sounds in the ear

Take a hands-on ride through the fundamentals of electronics and acoustics, and the process of loudspeaker design and construction. Learn about the engineering and art involved throughout music/movie recording and playback, the design and application of everything from microphones to DACs, amplifiers, and speakers. With the aid of computer assisted audio measuring equipment at the MIT Edgerton Center, analyze the frequency response and distortion of speaker drivers, and understand their effect on what we hear. Design your own speakers - driver selection, crossover networks, and enclosure design - and build them in class!

In this activity, students use a variety of materials to design and create headphones that absorb sound.

"This course explores electromagnetic phenomena in modern applications, including wireless and optical communications, circuits, computer interconnects and peripherals, microwave communications and radar, antennas, sensors, micro-electromechanical systems, and power generation and transmission. Fundamentals include quasistatic and dynamic solutions to Maxwell's equations; waves, radiation, and diffraction; coupling to media and structures; guided waves; resonance; acoustic analogs; and forces, power, and energy."

Students model and design the sound environment for a room. They analyze the sound performance of different materials that symbolize wallpaper, thick curtains, and sound-absorbing panels. Referring to the results of this analysis, they then design another room based on certain specifications and test their design.

For middle school to adult, an explanation of the relationships between frequency, wavelength, and pitch.

The Impulse Response Measurement Toolbox is a simple, convenient, and free open-source solution for measuring impulse responses, magnitude spectra, and phase spectra of single-input, single-output (SISO) linear systems. Two impulse-response measurement methods are explained and demonstrated. The Golay code measurement technique is particularly robust to additive white noise, while the swept sine measurement technique is robust to weak nonlinearities.

Selection of material from the following topics: calculus of variations (the first variation and the second variation); integral equations (Volterra equations; Fredholm equations, the Hilbert-Schmidt theorem); the Hilbert Problem and singular integral equations of Cauchy type; Wiener-Hopf Method and partial differential equations; Wiener-Hopf Method and integral equations; group theory.

The study of speech sounds: how we produce and perceive them and their acoustic properties. The influence of the production and perception systems on phonological patterns and sound change. Acoustic analysis and experimental techniques.

In this lesson, students learn about sound. Girls and boys are introduced to the concept of frequency and how it applies to musical sounds.

Students design musical instruments inspired by what they learn in an experiment with beakers of different liquids. In the "research and investigate" stage of design, they experiment to determine the general relationship between pitch (frequency) and liquid density. They use their results to draw designs for instruments that can create sound at several different pitches.

An overview of some of the math concepts that are relevant to music. Includes suggestions for classroom activities for grades 3-7 that use music to illustrate a math concept, as well as reviews of the math necessary for older students to understand some music theory and acoustics.

The activities in this course are designed for children preschool or elementary school age. Some introduce basic music concepts; others focus on music of a particular culture. All encourage noise and activity, so they make excellent breaks from desk work, but be sure you are not disturbing the class down the hall!

An introduction to the concept of resonance as it applies to musical instruments.

Students explore the sound dampening ability of numerous materials by designing and prototyping model sound booths. As a result, students learn about how sound is reflected, absorbed and travels through various materials, thus giving them an overview of sound dampening, energy absorption and sound propagation in the context of engineering. Students also create blueprints and document their findings in a formal lab report.

Students learn the connections between the science of sound waves and engineering design for sound environments. Through three lessons, students come to better understand sound waves, including how they change with distance, travel through different mediums, and are enhanced or mitigated in designed sound environments. Students are introduced to audio engineers who use their expert scientific knowledge to manipulate sound for the production of music and film. They learn how the invention of the telephone pioneered communications engineering, leading to today's long-range communication industry and its worldwide impact. Students analyze materials for their sound properties used in acoustic design, learning about the varied environments created by acoustical engineers. Hands-on activities include modeling the placement of microphones to create a specific musical image, modeling and analyzing a string telephone, and using what they've learned about sound waves and materials to model a room to serve as a controlled sound environment.

Students are introduced to the sound environment as an important aspect of a room or building. Several examples of acoustical engineering design for varied environments are presented. Students learn the connections between the science of sound waves and engineering design for sound environments.

In this lesson, students are introduced to communications engineers as people who enable long-range communication. In the lesson demonstration, students discuss the tendency of sound to diminish with distance and model this phenomenon using a slinky. Finally, Alexander Graham Bell is introduced as the inventor of the telephone and a pioneer in communications engineering.