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Acoustics, no doubt like many of the other building technologies, is often seen by those who are not involved with the subject on a regular basis as being full of specialist and complex concepts and jargon.

This is a valid criticism, to some extent, because the subject has become unnecessarily complicated in its use of technical terminology. This can often lead to misunderstandings, and the misapplication of suitable materials and constructions necessary to achieve good acoustic standards or solve troublesome acoustic problems.

As manufacturers of acoustic ceiling and wall lining systems, Armstrong World Industries and in particular the Technical Services Group of the Building Products Division has, over the years, received many enquiries from Architects, Designers, Engineers and Contractors who have been seeking acoustic advice. These queries have not only been concerned with the acoustic performance of Armstrong's products but they have also covered a much wider range of acoustics issues. So clearly the subject of building acoustics is still not well understood and, in addition, confusion often arises due to the different testing methods, units and criteria that are used between Europe, North America and other parts of the world. This is a situation that now commonly occurs when major architectural practices and international building firms are able to undertake projects world-wide.

This acoustics guide has been produced in an attempt to help clarify the subject. It is intended as a readily accessible work of reference and has been structured in a dictionary format so that the meaning or definition of any unknown unit or term can be easily found and a simple and lucid explanation given. The guide is not intended as a technical treatise on the subject, for which there are many other good reference books available, but merely as an aid to better understanding and usage for non-acoustic specialists within the building design and construction teams. Throughout the text there are many cross-references to defined subjects that are italicised, and diagrams and tables have been added where they help to make the explanations clearer. Also included at the end of the guide is a list of European, International and American standards covering most of the relevant requirements for testing, measurement and application of building acoustic performance and criteria. However as new standards are regularly introduced and existing ones revised and updated, the latest version of any standard should be checked against the date of this publication.