Particle displacement

Sound measurements
Characteristic
Symbols
 Sound pressure p, SPL, LPA
 Particle velocity v, SVL
 Particle displacement δ
 Sound intensity I, SIL
 Sound power P, SWL, LWA
 Sound energy W
 Sound energy density w
 Sound exposure E, SEL
 Acoustic impedance Z
 Audio frequency AF
 Transmission loss TL

Particle displacement or displacement amplitude is a measurement of distance of the movement of a sound particle from its equilibrium position in a medium as it transmits a sound wave.[1] The SI unit of particle displacement is the metre (m). In most cases this is a longitudinal wave of pressure (such as sound), but it can also be a transverse wave, such as the vibration of a taut string. In the case of a sound wave travelling through air, the particle displacement is evident in the oscillations of air molecules with, and against, the direction in which the sound wave is travelling.[2]

A particle of the medium undergoes displacement according to the particle velocity of the sound wave traveling through the medium, while the sound wave itself moves at the speed of sound, equal to 343 m/s in air at 20 °C.

  1. ^ Gardner, Julian W.; Varadan, Vijay K.; Awadelkarim, Osama O. (2001). Microsensors, MEMS, and Smart Devices John 2. pp. 23–322. ISBN 978-0-471-86109-6.
  2. ^ Arthur Schuster (1904). An Introduction to the Theory of Optics. London: Edward Arnold. An Introduction to the Theory of Optics By Arthur Schuster.