Sound Engineering

Engineers and practitioners contribute to society through their ability to apply basic scientific principles to real problems in an effective and efficient manner. They must collect data to test their products every day as part of the design and testing process and also after the product or process has been rolled out to monitor its effectiveness.

Our world is largely defined by what we see and hear-but our uses for light and sound go far beyond simply seeing a photo or hearing a song. A concentrated beam of light, lasers are powerful tools used in industry, research, and medicine, as well as in everyday electronics like DVD and CD players.

Engineers and practitioners contribute to society through their ability to apply basic scientific principles to real problems in an effective and efficient manner. They must collect data to test their products every day as part of the design and testing process and also after the product or process has been rolled out to monitor its effectiveness. Model building and validation, data collection, data analysis and data interpretation form the core of sound engineering practice.

This book explains the nature of sound both as a physical phenomenon and as a sensation, how it travels through air and water, and how the hearing system evolved to convert these vibrations into sensations. Drawing on physics, biology, neuroscience, philosophy, literature, history, anecdote, and personal experience, "Now Hear This" is a wide-ranging exploration of the nature of sound and hearing that opens up a fascinating world of sounds from the mundane to the unusual and seeks above all to persuade the reader of the wisdom of John Cage's advice that "Wherever we are what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it, it disturbs us. When we listen to it, we find it fascinating."

Setting the standard for modern cob construction – from design, engineering, and building code compliance, to sculpting beautiful structures