PHYS-N 190 (VT: Physics of Sound) will be offered by Professor Henry Scott in Summer Session 1, 2023, either with or without a lab component. The course is designed for non-science majors and to be accessible to all; it will run from Monday, May 15 to Monday, June 26.
The lecture-only option will be for 3 credits, and the lecture plus lab option will be for 4 credits. Either option will meet the Natural World component of the Common Core general-education requirement category, and the 4-cr version will also satisfy the Science w/ Lab requirement for B.A. students in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
The course will use an Open Educational Resource (OER) as a textbook, which is freely available via the web: Sound: An Interactive eBook. The book includes many interactive simulations which we use, along with other physical and software-based explorations, in class.
The labs will be hands-on and use computer and smartphone-based instrumentation to collect and analyze data using accelerometers, force sensors, microphones, tone generators and light sensors. Spreadsheets will be used for automating calculations and plotting data, but no prior experience is needed; instruction will be provided for those at all levels.
3-Credit Option without Lab:
- MTWR 10:00 – 11:40 AM, Class # 13336
4-Credit Option with Lab:
- MTWR 10:00 – 11:40 AM & TR 12:30 – 2:30 PM, Class # 13337
Note that the lecture component (i.e., MTWR 10:00 – 11:40 AM) will be combined for both options and that students need to use only a single Class # to enroll based on their choice regarding lab.
Class Description:
This course will cover physical phenomena in sound production, propagation, and perception, and it will include the standard terminology and fundamentals of the physics of sound. Specific topics include waves and vibrations, perception and measurement of sound, and the acoustics of musical instruments, speech and singing. The course will provide the scientific foundation for more specialized courses such as speech & hearing and music theory, but it will also have interdisciplinary components, and students will be guided to make connections to their own areas of specialty and interest. The course will make extensive use of in-class, computer simulations, smart-phone data collection, and demonstrations for a hands-on approach to learning about the physics of sound.
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