Two sounds differ by 20 dB.This means that the louder sound is _____ times as intense and _____ times as loud.
A)twenty; twenty
B)one hundred; twenty
C)twenty; four
D)one hundred; four
E)two; two

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The difference in intensity level between two sounds measured in decibels (dB) is calculated using the formula 10 * log(I1/I2), where I1 and I2 are the intensities of the two sounds. A difference of 20 dB means that the intensity ratio is 10^(20/10) = 100, so the louder sound is 100 times as intense. The perception of loudness, however, does not scale linearly with intensity; it's generally accepted that a 10 dB increase is perceived as roughly twice as loud. Therefore, a 20 dB increase would be perceived as four times as loud.

Two Sounds Differ by 20 DB