This treatise is a successful attempt to cover in one book the diverse field of acoustics, which ranges from physics to music and from formal mathematics to technological applications. Rossing’s handbook is comprised of eight “Parts,” which, in turn, are divided into 28 chapters. Thirty-three authors were involved, and unsung are the four members of the editorial board, Murray Campbell, Floyd Dunn, Neville Fletcher, and William Hartmann as well as the many reviewers of the chapters.
The beginning chapter on basic linear acoustics is the most complete treatment of this subject in one place that this reviewer can recall. It is grouped with sound propagation in the atmosphere and in water. The chapter on physical acoustics contains material on esoteric and interesting subjects—resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, sonoluminescence, thermoacoustic engines, detection of land mines, medical ultrasonography, and Schlieren imaging.
Two chapters are devoted to the acoustics of auditoria. The first is a...
