From Deci- (10), and bel (after Alexander
Graham Bell). A measure of power gain or loss in a sound wave relative
to an arbitrarily chosen power level. Equal to ten times the logarithm
of the ratio between output power and baselevel power. A difference in
one decibel in the power supply to a telephone receiver produces
approximately the smallest change in volume of sound which a normal
human ear can detect. As applied to speech and sound levels in buildings
and factories, dB is a measurement of sound energy ratios on the A-scale
(440 Hertz). At 130 dB, sound is painful and deafening. The sound level
on a busy city street is 100 dB. The average sound level in a large
office is 60 dB.
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