SOUND VSI: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Sleek and informative!!!Goodread.

This is as advertised- a brief intro. It's accessible- there's almost no math- and it's entertaining, chock full of appropriate lore. However, the brevity and lack of math are also a weakness. Key links are underplayed (for instance the interplay among frequency, wavelength and wave speed and the interplay between wavelength and diffraction). The later chapters, which deal with applications, do not link back enough to basic concepts- perhaps because the author wanted to keep the book short. I teach a college course on sound and consider this a viable supplement to (much) more expensive books, like Rossing or Berg and Stork, but I don't think it would make an adequate stand-alone text.On first read, I spotted some minor editing lapses- like the square root sign in Box one that should apply to both numerator and denominator of the fraction, missing units on the RT60 equation and a sentence or two that made me re-read to parse meaning. Not surprisingly, a closer reading found more. Most disturbing is the incorrect/incomplete explanation for "Donald Duck" voice caused by breathing helium, which reinforces common misconceptions. Fortunately, such carelessness does not permeate the book- for instance, the author does a better job than most pointing out that common decibel charts are misleading because distance is not taken into account- but it does make me wonder what other stuff the author missed.

Great access point for a beginner or intermediate. Gives a documentarian overview of the role of sound in the world.

Author competently describes the science of sound in understandable language for the general public.

Covers a lot of ground as the field is very broad, but an easy and interesting read.

All OK.