1. Reverberation is the phenomenon in which sound waves are reflected multiple times causing a single sound to be heard more than once.
2. Sound wave gets reflected multiple times if the distance between reflecting surface and source of sound is less than 15 m.
3. During reverberation, the time interval between the successive reflections of a sound is small.
4. As a result, the reflected sound waves overlap and produce a continuously increasing loud sound which is at times difficult to understand.
Measures to decrease reverberation:
5. Reverberation can be decreased by making the walls and roofs rough and by using curtains in the hall to avoid reflection of sound.
6. Chairs and wall surfaces should be covered with sound absorbing materials.
7. Porous cardboard sheets, perforated acoustic tiles, gypsum boards, thick curtains etc. should be used on the ceilings and walls.