Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 31, 2026

Particle acceleration

In acoustics, particle acceleration is the acceleration of particles in a sound transmission medium. When sound passes through a medium it causes particle displacement and as such causes changes in their acceleration.

Last revised
May 31, 2026
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In acoustics, particle acceleration is the acceleration (rate of change in speed and direction) of particles in a sound transmission medium. When sound passes through a medium it causes particle displacement1 and as such causes changes in their acceleration.

The acceleration of the air particles of a plane sound wave is given by: a = δ ⋅ ω 2 = v ⋅ ω = p ⋅ ω Z = ω J Z = ω E ρ = ω P ac Z ⋅ A {\displaystyle a=\delta \cdot \omega ^{2}=v\cdot \omega ={\frac {p\cdot \omega }{Z}}=\omega {\sqrt {\frac {J}{Z}}}=\omega {\sqrt {\frac {E}{\rho }}}=\omega {\sqrt {\frac {P_{\text{ac}}}{Z\cdot A}}}}

Symbol Units Meaning
a m/s2 particle acceleration
v m/s particle velocity
δ m, meters particle displacement
ω = 2πf radians/s angular frequency
f Hz, hertz frequency
p Pa, pascals sound pressure
Z N·s/m3 acoustic impedance
J W/m2 sound intensity
E W·s/m3 sound energy density
Pac W, watts sound power or acoustic power
A m2 area
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Arthur Schuster (1904). An Introduction to the Theory of Optics. London: Edward Arnold. An Introduction to the Theory of Optics By Arthur Schuster.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
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