Abstract

What is noise?Noise is a central concept of acoustics that distinguishes certain kinds of sounds from others. Beyond sound, notions of noise associated with the measurement process and information theory have moved to virtually all fields of science and engineering, and even the social sciences. Not surprisingly, we find not one but several different and even contradictory concepts of noise in science and engineering. How did this happen?Scientific concepts of noise have changed over time. But they have also varied in relation to a respective research field or technical application. The history of acoustics is characterised by its distinct relation to human sensation and perception of hearing, music and speech.