Course detail
Bioacoustics
FSI-9BIA Acad. year: 2024/2025 Both semester
Bioacoustics is dealing with human organs and the organs of the next living creature of which their function is connected to an using of acoustic waves summary of an acoustics using. Bioacoustics is dealing especially by the human voice generation and by the hearing perception. The source voice is generated by the vocal folds and is adapted when is going through the vocal tract. The source voice differs when it is generated in whisper or in aloud. The source voice is a cause of the formant excitation of individual vowels according the set up of the vocal tract. The formants are the natural frequencies of the vocal tract.
The other organ using the acoustic waves properties and vibro-acoustic systems anywise is a hearing system. The hearing apparatus catches the acoustic waves from surrounding environment and by means of complicated electrical-mechanical system them transformed into signals which are sent further into brain.
Language of instruction
Czech
Supervisor
Entry knowledge
Fundamentals of acoustics:
acoustic wave, acoustic quantities (pressure, intensity, power), acoustic signal spectra, experimental analysis of the acoustic quantities, acoustic fields, spectral and modal properties of acoustic cavities.
Mathematics:
matrix algebra, linear algebra, differential equations, basics of finite element method.
Rules for evaluation and completion of the course
The exam is written and oral.
Classification is made on the regulations to be used on VUT FSI.
Active participation in the course is controled individually according to the progression of work on the project.
Aims
The human vocal tract is a unique "musical instrument" which is able to generate a sound of various frequency (tone) composition and in consequence of this reality it serves for communication among people. The hearing system enables a frequency analysis of received sound by means of special inner ear function – cochlea.
In the BIOACOUSTICS subject the attention will be devoted to the both problems given above. The function both organs will be analysed theoretically, by the computer modeling by means of finite element method and further by the experiments.
Students will receive very valuable information during study of acoustics subject about the two very important human organs. The first is the vocal tract and second is the hearing system which is ranges among fundamental senses. Students will meet not with the correct function of the both organ, but also with many their faults and defects.
The study programmes with the given course
Programme D-IME-P: Applied Mechanics, Doctoral, recommended course
Programme D-IME-K: Applied Mechanics, Doctoral, recommended course
Type of course unit
Lecture
20 hours, optionally
Syllabus
1. Acoustic vibration, acoustic modes of the close and open tubes
2. The windbrass instruments
3.-4. Vocal tract organ, spectral and modal properties
5. Voice analysis, vowel formants
6.-7. Vocal folds function
8. Compensatory voice sources, electrolaryng, compensatory vocal folds
9.-10. Hearing system, cochlea
11.-12. Source defects of the hearing system
13. Skull, transmission properties