Question

Sound source A has a deciBel rating of 50 dB. Sound source B is 1000 times more intense. What is the deciBel rating of B

Answer 1

The decibel system of sound intensity operates by a logarithmic scale, meaning that sound intensity increases exponentially in relation to the decibel rating.

For decibels, the equation between intensity and the dB equivalent is:

dB = 10log(i),

where “i” is the intensity of the sound. The ten in front of the log means that an increase in ten dB results in a tenfold increase in sound intensity; for example, a 30 dB sound is ten times softer than a 40 dB sound.

In this case, a sound with a dB of 80 would be 1000 times more intense than a 50 dB sound, so the decibel rating of B is 80.

Hope this helps!