Mission SM3 Sound Intensity and DeciBel Levels
Hold down the T key for 3 seconds to activate the audio accessibility mode, at which point you can click the K key to pause and resume audio. Useful for the Check Your Understanding and See Answers.
If a sound has a high deciBel level, then that sound also has a ____.
The deciBel scale is the logarithmic scale used to express the intensity of various sounds.
The human ear is capable of detecting a wide range of intensities. From the threshold of hearing at 1.0 x 10-12 W/m2 to the threshold of pain at 1.0 W/m2, the range of intensities is enormous. Because of the enormous range of intensities that humans can hear, a logarithmic scale is used to express the intensity of a sound. The scale is known as the deciBel scale. It it based on the number of powers of 10 greater that one sound's intensity is relative to the intenesity of the threshold of hearing. The greater the intensity of a sound, the greater the deciBel rating.
