This Very Short Introduction explores the science of sound and its nature, hearing and harmony. Considering sound we can't hear, the author also covers different sound worlds, as well as noise and its reduction.

• 1: Past sounds


• 2: The nature of sound


• 3: Sounds in harmony


• 4: Hearing sound


• 5: Electronic sound


• 6: Ultrasound and infrasound


• 7: Sound underwater and underground


• 8: Sound out of place


• Further reading


• Index

Mike Goldsmith is a freelance acoustician and science writer and the former Head of Acoustics at the National Physical Laboratory. He has worked in the field of acoustics for over 25 years and has written almost 40 papers, articles and reports about many aspects of sound, including speech, sound quality and the history of acoustics. His previous publications include Discord: The Story of Noise (OUP, 2012) as well as over forty children's science books.