= Acoustic transducer
An <acoustic transducer> converts between an acoustic disturbance and another form of signal or actuation. A <microphone> converts sound-induced motion into an electrical signal; a <loudspeaker> performs the opposite conversion. A <piezoelectric transducer> can use reciprocal coupling between deformation and an <electric field> to transmit and receive <ultrasound>.
Its <frequency response>, sensitivity and <acoustic impedance> affect what is emitted or measured. In a pulse-echo experiment, the same device can launch a short pulse and record the returning reflection. Travel time constrains distance only after the <sound speed> and the outgoing-plus-return path are accounted for.
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