TY - GEN
T1 - Inverse problems in musical acoustics
AU - Fletcher, N. H.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Inverse problems in musical acoustics have a long history. Essentially they involve deducing something about the structure of the instrument simply by examining its sound. Can you tell the metal from which a flute is made from its sound? Can you hear the shape of a drum? Can you hear the shape of a wooden beam? What makes a Stradivarius violin sound special? This paper will examine some of these problems to find those which are, at least to some degree, answerable. Among the questions considered in addition to those above are hearing the diameter of a metal rod, discovering the diameter of an organ pipe, and deducing the shape of a bent rod. While many of these problems are only of 'academic' interest, since direct measurements can usually be made, others such as that concerning the violin can often be approached only in an inverse manner. The answers to such inverse problems - even partial answers - can be of practical importance in helping to understand and improve the sound and ease of performance of musical instruments.
AB - Inverse problems in musical acoustics have a long history. Essentially they involve deducing something about the structure of the instrument simply by examining its sound. Can you tell the metal from which a flute is made from its sound? Can you hear the shape of a drum? Can you hear the shape of a wooden beam? What makes a Stradivarius violin sound special? This paper will examine some of these problems to find those which are, at least to some degree, answerable. Among the questions considered in addition to those above are hearing the diameter of a metal rod, discovering the diameter of an organ pipe, and deducing the shape of a bent rod. While many of these problems are only of 'academic' interest, since direct measurements can usually be made, others such as that concerning the violin can often be approached only in an inverse manner. The answers to such inverse problems - even partial answers - can be of practical importance in helping to understand and improve the sound and ease of performance of musical instruments.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84869105237&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 9781617827457
T3 - 20th International Congress on Acoustics 2010, ICA 2010 - Incorporating Proceedings of the 2010 Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society
SP - 3928
EP - 3931
BT - 20th International Congress on Acoustics 2010, ICA 2010 - Incorporating Proceedings of the 2010 Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society
T2 - 20th International Congress on Acoustics 2010, ICA 2010 - Incorporating the 2010 Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society
Y2 - 23 August 2010 through 27 August 2010
ER -