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The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whose levels differ by one decibel have a power ratio of 10 1/10 (approximately 1.26) or root-power ratio of 10 1/20 (approximately 1.12). [1] [2]
Sound intensity, also known as acoustic intensity, is defined as the power carried by sound waves per unit area in a direction perpendicular to that area, also called the sound power density and the sound energy flux density. [2] The SI unit of intensity, which includes sound intensity, is the watt per square meter (W/m 2).
Sound power or acoustic power is the rate at which sound energy is emitted, reflected, transmitted or received, per unit time. [1] It is defined [2] as "through a surface, the product of the sound pressure, and the component of the particle velocity, at a point on the surface in the direction normal to the surface, integrated over that surface."
In the above formula, P is measured in units of power, such as watts (W) or milliwatts (mW), and the signal-to-noise ratio is a pure number. However, when the signal and noise are measured in volts (V) or amperes (A), which are measures of amplitude, [ note 1 ] they must first be squared to obtain a quantity proportional to power, as shown below:
While 1 atm (194 dB peak or 191 dB SPL) [11] [12] is the largest pressure variation an undistorted sound wave can have in Earth's atmosphere (i. e., if the thermodynamic properties of the air are disregarded; in reality, the sound waves become progressively non-linear starting over 150 dB), larger sound waves can be present in other atmospheres ...
Attenuation decreases the intensity of electromagnetic radiation due to absorption or scattering of photons. Attenuation does not include the decrease in intensity due to inverse-square law geometric spreading. Therefore, calculation of the total change in intensity involves both the inverse-square law and an estimation of attenuation over the ...
Vinyl microgroove phonograph records typically yield 55-65 dB, though the first play of the higher-fidelity outer rings can achieve a dynamic range of 70 dB. [25] German magnetic tape in 1941 was reported to have had a dynamic range of 60 dB, [26] though modern-day restoration experts of such tapes note 45-50 dB as the observed dynamic range. [27]
Transmission loss in underwater acoustics describes the decrease of sound intensity that is reduced by a bubble curtain or other damping structure at a given frequency. The same term is sometimes used to mean propagation loss , which is a measure of the reduction in sound intensity between the sound source and a receiver, defined as the ...