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Shhh! Don't Make Waves


60 dB.

  • Sound becomes painful at about 120 dB, the "threshold of pain."

  • At a distance of about 100 yards, a rocket engine has an intensity of about 180 dB, well above the threshold of pain.

  • Some (music) concerts have been measured at 125 dB. Ouch!

    • Rumination and Discussion

    Remember, 10 dB is 10 times greater than 0 dB, 20 dB is 100 times greater than 0 dB, 30 dB is 1000 times greater than 0 dB, etc. Following are some quickie math problems to solve.

    1) How much greater is the energy carried at 120 dB than the energy carried by a whisper?

    2) How much energy does it take (in decibels) to get your kids to pay attention to you when you ask them to do a chore? Or, if you're the kid, how much energy does it take (in decibels) for your friends to get you to pay attention when they want to order a pizza?

    3) How would you go about measuring the energy carried by your dog's bark in the middle of the night when you're trying to sleep?

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    The copyright of the article Shhh! Don't Make Waves in Physics is owned by Linda Bond. Permission to republish Shhh! Don't Make Waves in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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