USING NUMERICAL MODELS TO UNDERSTAND ACOUSTIC BEAM CONFORMATION

Usage of new technologies in teaching improves the comprehension of physics phenomena that, due to its high complexity of analytical resolution, they are often not explained as detailed as they should be. Finite Element Method (FEM) allow simulation of typical key problems for acoustical engineering students. Once boundary and initial conditions of the problem have been set, any problem can be solved. The main advantage of using FEM methods is that the results presented by FEM software are very interactive, which helps students to acquire the main concepts of physics.

Furthermore, numerical models based on FEM allow researchers to resolve complex physics problems in a relatively simple way. Nowadays computational resources make possible the utilization of FEM software for solving class problems. Thus, students can learn how to use current simulation tools that are being used by researchers and professionals.

By knowing initial and boundary conditions of a problem, so as the type of physics involved, it is possible to create a model that allows the comprehension of the different physics phenomena involved in the academic field. In Acoustics, for instance, it could be explained how pressure beams are formed by a piston emitter depending on its diameter and the working frequency.