Historia De La Acustica

Physical Acoustics Timeline, 550 BC — Present
(Submissions courtesy of members of the Acoustical Society of America's Physical Acoustics Technical Committee) 550 BC 1400s
(late)

Pythagoras relates length of vibrating string to pitch. Leonardo da Vinci identifies an early form of the principle of superposition, shows that sound has a finite velocity, and uses a tube to listen to underwatersound. Mersenne describes the first absolute determination of the frequency of an audible tone. Galileo explains the relation of pitch to frequency, consonance, dissonance, the frequency ratios corresponding to musical intervals, vibratory resonance, sympathetic vibrations, and the quantitative dependence of a the frequency of a vibrating string on it length, diameter, density, and tension. Kircherstudies the acoustical horn and invents the loud-speaking trumpet. Additional studies were later done on horns by Morland in the 1670s. von Guericke and later Boyle & Hooke show that sound does not propagate in a vacuum. Viviani and Borelli measure the speed of sound in air to within 5% of its correct value. Hooke uses a rotating toothed wheel to produce sound (siren) and anticipates the use ofthe stethoscope for diagnostic purposes (later developed by Laennec around 1816). Newton characterizes sound as pressure pulses transmitted through neighboring fluid particles. Computes the speed of sound in a gas by assuming condensation is proportional to pressure with the result being lower than the correct value by around 16%. Bianconi and de la Condamine independently demonstrate that the speedof sound is a function of temperature. Franklin uses a Leyden jar and a light cork ball to demonstrate oscillating electromechanical transduction and later adapts the device to ring a bell. Euler publishes model equation for finite-amplitude waves. Poisson finds an exact solution to describe the propagation of finite-amplitude waves. Laplace correctly computes the speed of sound in a gas byassuming adiabatic conditions. Calladon and Sturm measure the speed of sound in the water of Lake Geneva. Cauchy and Poisson derive solution for elastic wave propagation in thin plates. Poisson shows elastic vibrations consist of both dilatational and distortional waves. Faraday observes acoustically-stimulated gas streaming above a vibrating plate. Stokes relates attenuation of sound to the viscosityof fluids. Stokes, George G., “On the dynamical theory of diffraction.” The solution for a point load in an infinite elastic space is given. One of the first systematic studies of the excitation and propagation of elastic waves.
1

1636 1638
(circa)

1650 1654
(circa)

1656 1670s 1686

1740 1747
(circa)

1765 1808 1816 1826 1828-29 1831 1845 1849

1850 1859 1860 1867 1868 18701877 1877

Sondhauss studies heat-driven acoustic oscillations in tubes without flow. Rijke studies heat-driven acoustic oscillations in tubes with flow. Helmholtz publishes the theory of the resonator that now has his name. Toepler develops the schlieren method of sound visualization. Kirchhoff finds the spatial absorption for sound in a viscous, heat-conducting gas. Rankine publishes fundamentalequations describing shock wave propagation (later also published by Hugoniot in 1889 and partially derived earlier by Stokes). The first edition of Rayleigh's The Theory of Sound is published. Cuttris & Redding and Siemens independently file for patents for moving-coil electroacoustic transducers, thereby paving the way for the development of loudspeakers. Brothers Curie discover thepiezoelectric effect. A. G. Bell uses photoacoustic effects to transmit sound by modulation of light. Rayleigh and Lamb independently derive solutions for propagation of elastic waves in plates. A. W. Duff publishes "The attenuation of sound and the constant of radiation of air." Following a comment by Lord Rayleigh "On the cooling of air by radiation and conduction and on the propagation of sound," (1899)...