decibelskálát

Decibelskálát, often referred to as the decibel scale, is a logarithmic scale used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity. Most commonly, it is used to measure sound pressure level and sound intensity. The decibel is a dimensionless unit, meaning it does not have inherent physical dimensions, but rather represents a ratio. The scale is based on powers of ten, making it convenient for representing a wide range of values that occur in nature, such as the vast difference between the quietest sound a human can hear and the loudest sound that can be tolerated.

The decibel scale was developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories in the 1920s to quantify signal loss in telephone transmission. It is defined as 10 times the logarithm base 10 of the ratio of the power of a signal to a reference power. When dealing with sound pressure, which is proportional to the square root of power, the decibel is calculated as 20 times the logarithm base 10 of the ratio of the sound pressure to a reference pressure. A 10 decibel increase typically represents a tenfold increase in sound intensity, while a 20 decibel increase represents a hundredfold increase. Conversely, a decrease of 10 decibels signifies a tenfold decrease in intensity. This logarithmic nature allows for the compression of large ranges of values into more manageable numbers.