Question

A.) If the sound volume increases from 60 dB to 80 dB, then the sound volume increases by a factor of???

(Remember that you can enter large numbers like 100000 as 1e5)

B.) If the sound volume decreases from 120 dB to 40 dB, then the sound volume decreases by a factor of??

Answer 1

Part (A)

Initial sound volume = ₁ = 60 dB

New sound volume = ₂ = 80 dB

Initial intensity of sound = I₁

New intensity of sound = I₂

I₁ = 10^-6 W/m²

I₂ = 10^-4 W/m²

I₂/I₁ = 10^-4/10^-6 = 100

The sound volume increases by a factor of 100 when the sound increases from 60 dB to 80 dB

Part (B)

Initial sound volume = ₁ = 120 dB

New sound volume = ₂ = 40 dB

Initial intensity of sound = I₁

New intensity of sound = I₂

I₁ = 1 W/m²

I₂ = 10^-8 W/m²

I₁/I₂ = 1/10^-8 = 10⁸

The sound volume decreases by a factor of 10⁸ when the sound decreases from 120 dB to 40 dB.