Loudness of sound
Human ear is natural sound receiver. Sound originates from the source as waves and propagates through the medium and produces vibration in our ear drum. This vibration produces sensation in our brain and analyzing the nature of sound the brain ascertains whether the sound is intense or feeble. Human ear is so sensitive that it can hear very feeble and extremely intense sound. The ratio of feeble and intense sound is 1013. We can hear the sound within this limit.
The loudness of sound is determined, in turn, by the intensity, or amount of energy, in sound waves. Loudness is virtually a sensation of the ear. It is a physiological phenomenon rather physical phenomenon. Loudness expresses the dimension of hearing. Loudness means how loud the sound is made. The unit of intensity is the decibel (dB). As decibel levels get higher, sound waves have greater intensity and sounds are louder. So, Loudness can be defined as –
It is a characteristic by which one can distinguish how loud a sound is compared to another. Loudness depends on the perception of a person.
The loudness of a sound is the magnitude of the auditory sensation produced by the sound. It depends upon both intensity and frequency. It is determined by the intensity of sound. Loudness increases with intensity, but not to the same proportion.
