decibelskála

The decibel scale, often abbreviated as dB, is a logarithmic unit used to measure the intensity of sound or the power of signals. It is named after Alexander Graham Bell, who contributed to its development. The scale is widely used in acoustics, audio engineering, and telecommunications to quantify the loudness of sounds and the strength of signals.

The decibel scale is logarithmic because the human ear perceives sound levels on a logarithmic scale. This means that a 10 dB increase in sound level corresponds to a perceived doubling of loudness. For example, a sound that is 40 dB louder than another sound is perceived as being 10 times louder.

The decibel scale is defined as the logarithm of the ratio of a given quantity (such as sound pressure or power) to a reference level. For sound, the reference level is typically 20 micropascals (µPa) for sound pressure or 1 picowatt (pW) for sound power. In telecommunications, the reference level is often 1 milliwatt (mW).

The decibel scale is used to measure a wide range of quantities, including sound pressure level (SPL), sound power level (SWL), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). It is also used to measure the gain or loss of signals in electronic circuits.

The decibel scale is a versatile and widely used tool for quantifying the intensity of sounds and signals. Its logarithmic nature makes it well-suited for measuring quantities that span a wide range of values, and its use of a reference level allows for consistent and comparable measurements.