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The full form of dB is Decibel. By comparing it to a reference value, a decibel is a unit used to quantify the strength of an electrical signal or the loudness of a sound. Since the decibel scale is logarithmic, an increase of 10 decibels corresponds to a tenfold increase in the sound or signal’s strength.
Decibel is how we measure sound. It’s represented by the letter ‘dB’. Decibel is a way to compare how loud something is to something else, using a logarithmic scale. This scale is called the power level or field level, depending on what you are measuring.
What is the Decibel Scale?
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Our ears can handle sounds from really quiet to super loud. So instead of using a simple scale, we use a logarithmic scale to show sound levels more accurately. This scale is known as the decibel scale.
- On the decibel scale, the quietest sound you can hear is 0 dB.
- If something is 10 times louder than that, it’s 10 dB.
- If it’s 100 times louder than the quietest, it’s 20 dB.
- And if it’s 1,000 times louder than the quietest, it’s 30 dB.
Since decibel is a unit of measurement for sound intensity. Decibels are used to gauge a signal’s strength for electrical transmissions, though. Decibels can be written as “dB” or as a ratio, such “20 dB” or “20 dB relative to 1 mW.” Because it is more practical and compact than using a linear scale to convey huge ratios, the decibel scale is frequently employed.
Also Read: Career in Sound Engineering
History of dB
The word “decibel” was created by Alexander Graham Bell, an American engineer, in the early 1900s. Bell was working on making the telephone system better and wanted a simpler way to talk about the differences in power levels.
He first used the word “decibel” in a 1907 paper to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, explaining that it meant one-tenth of a Bel, which is a logarithm of the power level ratio. This idea caught on in telecommunications and has since been used in many other areas to show the difference between quantities on a logarithmic scale.
Also Read: How to Become a Sound Engineer?
Examples of Decibel Scale Use?
Some of the examples are –
- Sound intensity measurement: Decibels are frequently used to represent how loud a sound is. The louder the sound, the greater the decibel level.
- Comparing electrical signal strength: In electronics, decibels are frequently used to compare electrical signal strength.
- Acoustics: For the measurement of sound pressure level.
- Telephony and audio – Used as a frequency-weighted power for audio noise measurements.
- Video and Digital Photography: The relative loss/gain of decibels are used to evaluate link losses in optical communications and, interestingly, as a measure to characterize light intensity ratios in the fields of optics, video, and digital photography.
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