Sound-producing objects can be virtually simulated by computing surface motion acceleration

Evidence

Physical modeling is becoming possible for all sorts of sound producers. The sound of a rubber bowl or a steel bowl dropped onto the floor, for example, is created by computing the bowl surface motion and from that the sound field by following the accelerations of the surface, modeled as small patches. The result is totally convincing. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1844

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to physical modeling of the piano in the following paragraphs and to general synthesis history — the physics-of-sound synthesis approach versus sample-based synthesis.