Complex sound-emitting surfaces can be modeled as arrays of simple pistons

Evidence

Surface deformation can be reconstructed as thousands of little pistons moving in concert to reproduce the shape of the deforming surface. Such assemblies of baffled pistons help unlock the mysteries of surface-generated sound. Each small piston does something we understand, all of them “talking” to their neighbors by communicating pressure changes at the speed of sound. This point of view helps us make the transition from point monopole and point dipole sources to more extended sources of sound. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 646

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the baffled-piston decomposition as a modeling framework for surface sound sources.