Acoustic impedance
Acoustic Impedance is a measure of the resistance that a system presents to the flow of acoustic energy. It is a fundamental concept in the field of acoustics and is particularly important in the design and analysis of loudspeakers, microphones, and sonar systems.
Definition[edit | edit source]
Acoustic impedance, denoted by Z, is defined as the ratio of the acoustic pressure (P) to the particle velocity (U) at a point in a medium. Mathematically, it is expressed as:
Z = P/U
The unit of acoustic impedance is the Rayl (named after Lord Rayleigh), and its SI unit is the Pascal second per meter (Pa.s/m).
Types of Acoustic Impedance[edit | edit source]
There are two types of acoustic impedance: specific acoustic impedance and characteristic acoustic impedance.
Specific Acoustic Impedance[edit | edit source]
Specific acoustic impedance (z) is the acoustic impedance per unit area. It is a property of the medium and is independent of the shape and size of the area under consideration.
Characteristic Acoustic Impedance[edit | edit source]
Characteristic acoustic impedance (Z0) is the acoustic impedance of a medium for a plane wave. It is a property of the medium and is independent of the direction of propagation.
Applications[edit | edit source]
Acoustic impedance is used in a variety of applications, including:
- In loudspeaker design, to match the impedance of the speaker to the impedance of the air for maximum power transfer.
- In microphone design, to match the impedance of the microphone to the impedance of the air for maximum sensitivity.
- In sonar systems, to calculate the reflection and transmission coefficients at the interface between two media with different acoustic impedances.
See Also[edit | edit source]
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD