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Intensity. The pressure wave creates a force on a slice of air. Wave amplitude s 0 Pressure amplitude p 0 The amplitudes are related by frequency and wavenumber. Force to Pressure. A. P. P + D P. D x. magnitudes from harmonic waves. Intensity is the power per unit area.
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The pressure wave creates a force on a slice of air. Wave amplitude s0 Pressure amplitude p0 The amplitudes are related by frequency and wavenumber. Force to Pressure A P P +DP Dx magnitudes from harmonic waves
Intensity is the power per unit area. Pressure is force per area. Expect I = Pv Use v = s0w Factor of ½ for average Force and Intensity A P P +DP Dx
The minimum intensity that can be heard by humans is 10-12 W/m2. What is the fractional variation in air pressure? Translate intensity into pressure. Substitute values. p0 = 10-5 Pa Compared to P = 105 Pa this is one part in 10 billion. Threshold of Hearing
SoundIntensityRatio over threshold Threshold 10-12 W/m2 100 Whisper 10-10 W/m2 102 Mosquito 10-8 W/m2 104 Talking 10-6 W/m2 106 Traffic 10-4 W/m2 108 Subway 10-2 W/m2 1010 Rock band 100 W/m2 1012 Jet engine 101 W/m2 1013 Intensity Ratio
Sound intensity varies over a huge range. 13 orders of magnitude The exponents are easier to keep track of than the values. Logarithm of the ratio SoundRatio exponent Threshold 0 Whisper 2 Mosquito 4 Talking 6 Traffic 8 Subway 10 Rock band 12 Jet engine 13 Logarithmic Scale
The decibel is a unit that measures the intensity ratio. Symbol dB Exponent times 10 Each 10 dB is 10 times more intensity. SounddB Threshold 0 Whisper 20 Mosquito 40 Talking 60 Traffic 80 Subway 100 Rock band 120 Jet engine 130 Decibel
Your younger sibling is watching TV, and its annoying you at 75 dB. You yell and she turns it down to 60 dB. By what factor has the intensity decreased? The difference in logarithms is the ratio of the values Find the difference in dB Solve for the intensity With values I2 / I1 = 0.032 Turn it Down next