ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a base upon which the designer, architect or specifier can start to identify the most suitable design parameters and criteria for each of the three areas. It gives a narrative explanation of sound, sound transmission and sound control. More mathematical explanations of these processes can be found in the building acoustic text books listed in the bibliography. Acoustic absorption occurs when sound comes into contact with an acoustically porous material. Sound transmission through a structure is the passage of the sound pressure wave from the air, into the structure, through the structure and then out the other side. The stiffness of a partition affects how it will transmit sound particularly at low frequencies and also some higher frequencies. Separating the different elements of a structure can break the sound transmission paths like a break in a circuit board.
