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If we start at 10 on a logarithmic scale and count upward by only ONE space, this represents a 10-fold increase in quantity. On a linear scale, this is only twice as great as the original number. To put things in a little perspective, linear scales measure straightforward changes in quantities, while logarithmic scales measure exponential changes.įor example, if we start at the number 10 on a ruler and count 10 spaces up, we will come to 20.
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To make it easier to handle this huge range, a logarithmic scale was adopted, as opposed to the linear scale which is used by things such as rulers. This huge range means that when we attempt to measure the sounds the ears hear, the huge variation can make it impossible to perform the necessary calculations. This presents problems in some ways, though. One of the gifts of the ear is its ability to sense sounds over a wide range of sound levels. They are marvelously calibrated auditory tools, and are quite capable of registering a wide variety of frequencies and intensities.
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These are the organs that help to give us an awareness of the sounds in our environment. Let's have a discussion about the amazing human ear to start with. SO, JUST WHAT IS A DECIBEL, AND HOW DID IT COME TO BE NAMED? These questions include, just what is a decibel, and how did it come to be so named? What are the decibel levels of some well-known loud noises? And, how does the science apply to everyday products? Let's answer these questions.
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It will help to educate our readers along the way, and it will answer some questions that are relevant to the subject. This article will take a closer look at this specialized system of measure, known universally in technical circles as the decibel, or dB. For various reasons, it is very important that we have a way to measure the strength and the intensity of these signals, and luckily we have developed a system to do just that. Physical sounds allow us to experience our environment in a way like no other, communicate with each other easily, compose beautiful music, and so much more.Īs most people will know, sounds are actually pressure waves in the atmosphere around us that vibrate at frequencies that our ears are sensitive to. Sound is an integral part of life as we know it. The filter output is simply accessed across the resistor instead of the capacitor.Why We Use The Decibel Scale To Measure Sound Level Note that because the same resistor and capacitor were used, the cutoff frequency has not changed. Below is a Bode plot of the high-pass RC filter frequency response a few sections back.The cutoff frequency, which is 1592 Hz for this particular circuit, corresponds to a 3 dB attenuation, and can be used as a figure-of-merit for the response of the filter. This is the cutoff frequency, f 0, of the RC filter, which is expressed by the following relationship: f 0 = 1/(2πRC) The intersection point of these two lines coincides with the rounded section of the plot. Every Bode plot has two straight lines: the relatively flat response where little attenuation occurs and a linear response of -20 dB/decade at higher frequencies.Notice that low frequencies are unattenuated, but attenuation increases with higher frequencies. Below is a Bode plot of the low-pass RC filter frequency response shown a few sections back.