Note: This is an abridged form of a paper by Duncan Jarvis that appeared in Metrologia (Volume 36 Number 4, 1999) to mark the founding of the CIPM's Consultative Committee on Acoustics, Ultrasound and Vibration.

Abstract

This paper gives a broad overview of the types of measurement of sound made in air that require traceability to the SI base units, the instrumentation that supports those measurements and a brief history of the development of the primary measurement standard.

Contents

• Introduction
• Quantities and Units for Sound Measurement
• Procedural Standards
• Measuring Instrumentation
  • Measurement Microphones
  • Sound Level Meters
  • Instrumentation for the Measurement of Sound Intensity
  • Calibration Sources
  • Ear Simulators
  • Compatibility Issues
• Precision Requirements
• Measurement Standards
  • Development up to 1970
  • Development Since 1971
  • The Future
• References