Loudness: Huge range; logarithmic
• Why DECIBELS ?
• LOUDNESS perception:
also  LOGARITHM of the
physical variable (intensity).
– Fechner (1860) noticed: “equal”
steps of perceived loudness
actually multiples of each other
in intensity. Logarithmic
– Defined: log scale (Bel)
– 10 log10 (I / Ith) Decibels:
– Threshold: 0 dB: (1/1010
atmospheric pressure)
– Max: 5,000,000 larger in
amplitude, 1013 in power
– HUGE range.
• Encodes loudness
• Adapts to this huge range
(like light intensity)