Page Title:
Physics Tutorial: Intensity and the Decibel Scale

Page Description:
The amount of energy that is transported by a sound wave past a given area of the medium per unit of time is known as the intensity of the sound wave. Intensity is the energy/time/area; and since the energy/time ratio is equivalent to the quantity power, intensity is simply the power/area. Since the range of intensities that the human ear can detect is so large, the scale that is frequently used to measure it is a scale based on powers of 10. This type of scale is sometimes referred to as a logarithmic scale. The scale for measuring intensity is the decibel scale.

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waves, sound, sound waves, mechanical waves, frequency, period, human perception, pressure waves, energy, intensity, decibel, decibel System, logarithmic, inverse square law, amplitude, threshold of hearing, what are decibels, what is the loudest sound that can be heard, does decibels cause harm, why are loud sounds harmful