DECIBEL Meaning and
Definition
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A decibel (dB) is a unit of measurement that quantifies the relative intensity of a sound, signal, or physical quantity. It is commonly used in acoustics, electronics, and telecommunications to express the logarithmic ratio between two signal powers, sound pressures, or voltage levels. The decibel scale is logarithmic, which means that each increase or decrease of 10 dB represents a tenfold scaling in magnitude.
In the context of sound measurement, the decibel scale is primarily used to reflect the sensitivity of the human ear to different sound levels. It is based on the threshold of hearing, defined as 0 dB, which represents the lowest sound level that can be detected by an average human with normal hearing. As the decibel value increases, the corresponding sound becomes louder or more intense. For example, a sound that measures 10 dB is considered twice as loud as a sound that measures 0 dB, while a sound that measures 20 dB is four times as loud, and so on.
Moreover, the decibel is also used in electronics to measure the gain or loss of amplifiers, attenuators, and filters. It allows engineers to quantify the increase or decrease in signal power or voltage as it passes through electronic components or systems.
Overall, the decibel is a versatile unit of measurement that enables the calculation and comparison of sound levels, signal strengths, and power ratios across a wide range of scientific and technical applications.
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Etymology of DECIBEL
The word "decibel" comes from the combination of two terms: "deci-", a Latin prefix meaning one-tenth, and "bel", named after Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Originally, the unit of measurement for sound intensity was named the "bel". However, due to the range of values being too large for practical use, it was discovered that one-tenth of a "bel" would be a more convenient scale. Hence, it was called a "decibel" to reflect its one-tenth proportion to the original unit. The term was first used in the 1920s by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
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