ECGR4122/5090 Acoustics Fall 2022
Prof. Weldon: EPIC 2228, tpweldon@uncc.edu
Do NOT contact instructor through canvas, use email only.
Office hours: see my home page http://coefs.uncc.edu/tpweldon/
The course website is at http://coefs.uncc.edu/tpweldon/, listed under
the "courses" tab at the top of the webpage. Resources for this course
are also available in Canvas. Students must access the course website
and Canvas modules for class notes, videos, links, and other materials.
Textbooks (required):
1) Acoustic Engineering Lecture Notes 2021
Thomas Paul Weldon, ISBN 979-8538016945 available on amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Engineering-Lecture-Notes-2021/dp/B099JY6ZS5/
2)Acoustics for Engineers: Troy Lectures, 2nd Ed.
by Jens Blauert, Ning Xiang
Free campus version (on campus vpn):
https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783642033926
Also available as amazon.com rental
It is impossible to cover all material during class, so students are expected
to read the required textbooks and complete all course assignments. Other
reference books and recorded videos further supplement the lectures and textbook.
Other references:
- Acoustics. Beranek, L. L. (1954). United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill.
- Acoustics: An Introduction to Its Physical Principles and Applications,
A.D. Pierce, 1989,Acoustical Society of America
Software (required on your personal computer):
1) you must be able to run maatlab and siimulink on your personal computer
plus AudioToolbox https://www.mathworks.com/products/audio.html
NOTE: SEE COURSE WEBPAGE FOR required maatlab version/release
Download website is:
https://www.mathworks.com/academia/tah-support-program/eligibility.html
Hardware required (purchase for projects/experiments)
1) TBD small speaker
2) microphone connected to computer(earbuds with mic??)
Course Format
This course is intended to be delivered in an in-person format,but may go fully
online as needed or as directed by the university. Various course components
may be delivered online (through Canvas and the course website) or in classroom.
Exams and quizzes will primarily be on canvas, in person, and in classroom.
So, students will need to bring to every class a fully-charged laptop with
campus wifi access. The College of Engineering requires all students to own
a laptop computer. Students without a laptop for a quiz or exam will receive
a grade of zero or other sanctions. Tests and quizzes may also be on paper.
Quizzes may or may not be announced, dropping the two lowest quiz grades.
Grading: Exam1 25%, Exam2 25%, Quizzes 20%, Homework/Projects/etc 30%.
Scale: 90-100 A, 80-89 B, 70-79 C, 60-69 D, with "curve," if any,
entirely at the discretion of the instructor. See prior year
projects, exams, handouts, quizzes on website.
Do not come to class if you are sick. Please protect your health and the
health of others by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider if you
believe you are ill, and follow all university and CDC Covid policies.
For potential absences, two lowest quiz grades will be dropped for all
students, so save this option for any absence. Similarly, project
submissions may be delayed one week, and/or makeup exams may
be prepared for excused absences due to illness or documented job
interviews, etc., with acceptable documentation emailed to the
instructor before the due date or exam date. Otherwise, if you miss an
exam/quiz for any reason, you will receive a grade of zero.
Exceptional circumstances should be documented and/or approved by the
instructor at least 24 hours prior to the exam, wherever possible.
Late projects will not be accepted, and/or may be penalized up to 30
percent per day, solely at the instructor's discretion.
Collaboration (not copying) on homework and projects is encouraged.
However, different project groups may NOT copy program code or report material.
Class attendance and participation are expected. You must read the textbook;
it is impossible to cover all material during class.
The course will roughly follow the outline below; some key topics are noted
in the tentative list below.
Sequence Topic
Intro and Applications of acoustics (Blauert 1.0-1.7)
Ultrasound, pressure, velocity, frequencies, dB
1 Mechanical oscillators (Blauert 2.0-2.5
Undamped and damped Mass+spring, mechanical impedance
2 Mechanical and electrical impedance (Blauert 1.4, 2.1-3.3)
RLC equivalents of mechanical and acoustic elements
Undamped and damped Mass+spring, mechanical impedance
4 Electrical and mechanical waves (Blauert 7.0
LC lines, telegrapher equations, wave equations
5 Acoustic Waves (Blauert 7.1-7.4,9.1-9.6)
Acoustic transmission line and acoustic waves
3D plane waves and acoustic radiation
Exam 1
6 Waves on strings
Transverse waves on strings
7 Reflection of waves (Blauert 7.5, 7.6, 8.6)
Reflection coefficient, standing waves
8 Acoustic signals and frequency analysis
Fourier transform Frequency content of acoustic signals
9 Room acoustics (Blauert 9.0, 9.1, 12.0-12.3)
Monopoles, dipoles, ray-tracing, echogram
10 Acoustic arrays(Blauert 9.2-9.4)
Array patterns, array frequency response
Exam2 (typically during next-to-last week of classes)
15 Final project reports (see last year for examples)
Final Exam See Video Presentation and Review below
Video Presentation and Peer Reviews (subject to change):
Topic TBD (see last year for examples).
Every group must upload a 5 minute video of a
presentation on/before 5 PM of the night before the scheduled final
exam, so that all videos will be ready online for peer review during
the scheduled final exam meeting time. In addition, a pdf of the
presentation slides must be emailed to the instructor by the same
deadline (as a backup in case of video technical difficulties).
As an online final examination class session, each individual student
must view randomly assigned videos during the final exam period,
and/or take an online quiz at instructor discretion. The video and
reviews will be worth approximately one project.
Excused absence makeups: May be scheduled for the last class period,
or other times. Makeups will usually cover cumulative course material.
Students are expected to attend every class and remain in class for
the duration of the session when it is safe to do so in accordance
with university guidance.. Failure to attend class or arriving late
may impact your ability to achieve course objectives which could
affect your course grade. An absence, excused or unexcused,
does not relieve a student of any course requirement. Regular class
attendance is a student’s obligation, as is a responsibility for all
the work of class meetings, including tests and written tasks. Any
unexcused absence or excessive tardiness may result in a loss of
participation points.
The instructor is free to assign students to any project group at any time.
Appeals regarding final grade must be communicated to instructor within
14 days after end of semester, since any residual materials may be destroyed
thereafter. Departure from classroom during any quiz or exam will
result in a grade of zero. Students are responsible for submitting all
forms to Disability Services, and must provide a notice of accommodation
from Disability Services in the first week or two of the semester (see
their office for more information).
Audio or video recordings are not permitted, and all course content is
copyright by Thomas P. Weldon. If any recording is permitted in writing,
such recording remains copyright by Thomas P. Weldon and shall not be
distributed. In the event of all-online classes, you will need reliable high-
speed internet. Any class may be recorded by the instructor, with copyright
by Thomas P. Weldon, all rights reserved, for recordings and class materials.
NOTE: Final grading may include a subjective component, at instructor
discretion, based on the above rough weightings PLUS the instructor's
overall evaluation of student performance in projects and class
participation.
This syllabus contains the policies and expectations established for this
course. Please read the entire syllabus carefully before continuing in this
course. These policies and expectations are intended to create a productive
learning atmosphere for all students. Unless you are prepared to abide by
these policies and expectations, you risk losing the opportunity to
participate further in the course.
It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with the academic
regulations, degree requirements, religious accommodation for students,
course requirements, and all other requirements, policies, and procedures
set forth in the current University Catalog and all University Policies.
The official university guidelines supersede any contradictions that may
exist in this handout. Violations may result in reduction of grades,
zero grade, fines, suspension, course failure, or other adverse consequences.
In addition, a proper classroom environment is expected by all students,
and therefore any disorderly or disruptive conduct or other negative impacts
on the classroom, solely at the instructor's discretion, will result in
expulsion from such class with a grade of zero for corresponding material,
and/or other adverse sanctions as may be deemed appropriate. Use of
computers, tablets, phones, etc. during class are disruptive to other
students in class, and may be prohibited case-by-case solely at instructor's
discretion. If there are any issues or problems within a group, students
must follow the Project Problem Resolution Guidelines provided on the
course website.
The course policies set forth in this syllabus may be modified at any time
by the course instructor. Notice of such changes may be by announcement in
class, by canvas, and/or by email to the student's UNCC email address.
ALL STUDENTS MUST MEET PREREQUISITES AND COREQUISITES FOR THIS COURSE as
published in the UNCC Catalog which supersedes this syllabus.
Prerequisite:
ECGR 3111 with a grade of C or better
Engineering major or minor
Corequisite:
Prerequisite or corequisite:
Graduate Extra Project (Graduate level only, 5000 level)
worth 10% of total homeworks/quizzes/projects grade.
Graduate projects (preliminary description):
TBD: See final project website from last year for examples.