Sabine’s formula launched the science of architectural acoustics

Evidence

Equation 6.19 is known as the “Sabine reverberation formula” and, apart from being useful, was the first reverberation formula. It was developed on the basis of experimental measurements made by W. C. Sabine, thus initiating the whole science of architectural acoustics. Equation 6.19 is much easier to use and gives accurate enough results provided the absorption, α, is less than about 0.3. In many real rooms, this is a reasonable assumption. However, it becomes increasingly inaccurate as the average absorption increases and in the limit predicts a reverberation time when α = 1, that is reverberation without walls! — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1863

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader interest in the history of acoustics and sound science; the approximate formula and its limits echo material on measurement and instrumentation covered earlier in psychoacoustics.
• DEFINE: Defines what the Sabine formula is and its historical role as the first reverberation formula.