#Decibel scale decibel scale series

This means that decibels measure the loudness or the power of sound while hertz measures sound’s frequency. Decibels measure the resulting change in air pressure which the vibrating object creates. Hertz measures the amount or frequency of air pressure change by the vibration. Here is a quick look at some of the everyday sounds we hear and how the noise level dB looks like for each of these sounds.Īs per research, if one is exposed to noise level dB of 85 decibels for 8 continuous hours or 100 decibels for even 15 minutes, it could cause hearing damage. The lowest audible sound on a decibel scale is 0 DB. This means that if there is an increase of 10 decibels on the dB scale, it translates to a 10-fold increase in sound intensity and it corresponds to doubling in sound intensity as well. On a ruler 10 cm is twice as long as 5 cm or 30 cm is thrice as long as 10 cm but on a decibel, scale levels go up in powers of 10. Although we can make out if there is a rise in the number of pins dropping, we can not really distinguish if there are 1000 or 1001 pins dropping since our ears are not a linear device.Ī decibel scale is a logarithmic scale and works differently than a ruler (which is a linear scale). A human ear can discern the dropping of a pin in close range as well as the roaring of a jet engine far away. Our ears also have an exceptional range of handling different levels of sound power. With rising sound levels, the built-in mechanism of our ears reduces its own sensitivity. The name decibels is in honor of Alexander Graham Bell who invented the audiometer and the telephone and also devised the decibel scale first.Ī human ear is more versatile than you can think. A decibel meter is also called a sound-level meter and one can even access the sound meter app on smartphones. The decibel meter gives out readout by sampling and measuring the pressure of sound waves emanating from a source of the noise. The sound intensity or sound power is measured in decibels (dB) with the use of a device called a decibel meter. the strings are displaced more), greater will be the amplitude of vibration. If you put more energy into plucking the guitar wires (i.e. This energy is determined by the amplitude of the vibrating source (in this case the amplitude of the guitar). The amount of energy being pumped by the source of the sound to the listener determines how loud the sound is.

The vibrating air particles then reach the listener and vibrate the small parts within the listener’s ears which produces sound.

#Decibel scale decibel scale series

This series of alternating compressions and rarefactions create a pressure difference and the disturbance travels through the particles of the medium transporting energy. A vibrating guitar forces the air particles around it to compress and expand. Sound is produced in a medium and caused by vibration. Sound Waves and What Makes one Sound Louder than the Other In this article, we will dive into understanding the unit of sound, which is the decibel, and get to know how a decibel scale (dB scale) works but before that let us understand how sound travels and what makes one sound louder than the other. Measuring noise levels was not an easy affair earlier, but now with sophisticated and automated meters, one can measure sound intensity and volume easily and with accuracy. If noise is a problem for you then you must take steps to measure the noise levels so that you could reduce them. Have you ever been in a noisy environment that has left you uneasy and grimacing? Have you covered your ears while walking past a noisy factory? If you have you must have wondered what makes some sound louder than others.