The human ear can detect a remarkable range of sound intensities. The quietest s

Question

The human ear can detect a remarkable range of sound intensities. The quietest sound that we can hear has an intensity of 10?12W/m2, and we begin to feel pain when the intensity reaches 1 W/m2 . Since the intensities that matter to people in everyday life cover a range of 12 orders of magnitude, intensities are usually converted to a logarithmic scale called the sound intensity level ?, which is measured in decibels (dB). For a given sound intensity I, ? is found from the equation

?=(10dB)log(II0),

where I0=1.0

Explanation / Answer

?=(10dB)log(10^-6/10^-12)=60dB,

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