Engineers are designing an auditorium that will be used for performances by orchestras. What must they do to maximize the loudness of the sound heard by the audience?
a. hang curtains behind the orchestra
b. put carpet around the walls of the auditorium
c. hang reflecting panels from the ceiling behind the orchestra
d. install narrow glass windows and skylights around the top of the walls
2007-02-26 09:57:06 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
a
2007-02-26 09:59:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
okay, being a huge band geek finally comes in handy.
first, panels behing the orchestra is only needed if the surface behind the orchestra will absorb a great deal of the sound. (curtains, carpet, etc) remember the physics of it all. sound is wavelike. it bounces and is absorbed, just like light. what would you do to keep a light reflective to the audience area? the area behind the band should also be somewhat of an arc shape if possible to keep the sound going forward.
second, carpet and curtains absorb sound and should be used on extremely hard surfaces on the walls in the audience section of the auditorium to prevent any sound from echoing too much. you need the sound to travel forward and be able to reach the back of the auditorium. this requires covering surfaces that would bounce the sound back towards the front and distort the sound coming from the band. sound waves coming from one direction would become distorted if they met with the refleted waves travelling in the opposite direction.
third, you need to be carefull about glass. the human voice can shatter glass at a certain frequency because glass vibrates when sound waves hit it. if you would like to put in windows of any kind, make sure they are thick enough or dense enough. a smaller peice of glass will vibrate more when hit exposed to the same sound.
finally, the entire auditorium should be arc shaped to allow the sound to travel best. remember, once again that sound travels in waves. the pattern created when you dip your finger into a bowl of water is the same pattern that sound waves create. the ripple effect is extremely similar. that circle that is formed shows how the sound would travel. only a portion of the circle needs to be used because you only want to use the portion of the circle which allows the audience to see the front of the orchestra.
2007-02-26 19:23:04 · answer #2 · answered by Spoiled Little Princess 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey - this question is more complex than any of the answers.
However, to acheive the greatest sound distribution to the audience, you would want to hang the reflecting panels from the ceiling behind the orchestra. Also, you would want convex surfaces on the walls behind and beside the audience to reflect the sound out at all angles. Absorbtive materials should be placed at the very back of the auditorium to prevent echo. More calculations would be required for more exact design.
Good luck with the rest of your test? hw?
2007-02-26 18:50:59 · answer #3 · answered by peachfuzz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Assure that none in the audience is subjected to more than 85 dB,it can damage your hearing.
2007-02-26 18:59:17 · answer #4 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
None of these, the shape and material composition of the area determine the acoustics...
2007-02-26 18:20:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋