| Category | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| HW | 3 |
| Exams | 4 |
This class is composed of 3 major sections. The first covers basic acoustical physics, such as properties of waves and harmonic motion. The second section is a detailed discussion of tuning theory and systems, and the math thereof. The final section covers the physics of musical instruments, covering the major families and some high level physics of each, along with the human voice and ear. There is also a brief discussion of room acoustical design.
The HW in this class are fairly straightforward. It will be important to have some record of the equations discussed in lecture, as for most lectures notes are not passed out.
Exams are also straightforward. There are 3 exams, one for each section of the course. The third exam takes place during the time scheduled for the final, but is weighted the same as other exams.
Attendance is randomly taken during lecture, usually with a short quiz. Answers to the quiz come from readings in the textbook or from class material.
This course falls into the Science and Engineering courses category for CS students, and counts as a math/science elective for engineering students. (Although it used to count for one of the engineering gen ed categories, it no longer does.) It is also a required class for an audio engineering minor.
Much of the course content is more technical than many musicians need, and is not particularly closely aligned with any core fields of engineering. However, it does provide some useful intuition and practice with decibels. There are also connections to fourier series, although this class is at far less of a technical level than 18-290.
No prior musical experience is necessary, although the ability to read sheet music and very basic music theory (i.e. basic chords and intervals) is beneficial and may save time on homework and exams.
- The recommended textbook is Why You Hear What You Hear. It is not extremely closely aligned with the course's content, as it is not the original textbook, which is no longer available. One does not necessarily need it for success.