The full form of dB is Decibel. The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic number used to represent the ratio of a physical quantity to a defined or assumed reference level.
The decibel is the unit of measurement for sound. It has the sign ‘dB’. A decibel is a unit of measurement used to describe the ratio of one value of a power or field quantity to another on a logarithmic scale, where the logarithmic quantity is referred to as the power level or field level, respectively.
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What is the Decibel Scale?
The human ear is capable of adapting to a wide range of sound levels. As a result, instead of a linear scale, a logarithmic scale is used to represent sound levels in more flexible numbers. This scale is known as the decibel scale or dB scale.
- The smallest audible sound on the decibel scale is 0 dB.
- A sound ten times louder is 10 dB, and a sound 100 times louder than near utter silence is 20 dB.
- A sound 1,000 times louder than almost absolute silence is 30 decibels (dB).