Year 12 Physics

INTENSITY and DECIBELS!!

1. A loudspeaker is producing a sound that is very loud. At one point X in front of

the speaker, an area of 4 m2 has 0.08 J of sound energy passing through it each
second.
a) On what factor does the loudness of the sound depend?
b) What is the sound intensity (in W m-2 ) at point X?
c) Calculate the decibel reading at point X.

2. Convert an intensity of 5.010-8 W/m2 into decibels.

3. Convert these decibel readings into sound intensities. Describe a sound that could
have each decibel reading.
30 dB
70 dB
110 dB
4. The surface area of an eardrum is 8.010-5 m2. What is the power that passes
through the eardrum from a 40 dB sound wave?

5. If the intensity of one person speaking is 60 dB, what is the intensity when 10
such people are speaking?
6. A 50 dB sound is increased in intensity by a factor of 10,000. What is its new
sound level reading?
7. When two speakers are playing together, they give a combined sound level reading
of 80 dB. What will the dB reading be if one of the speakers is turned off?
8. The sound level from a single violin is 70 dB. If 4 more identical violins now join
in, what is the increased sound level?

9. What is the combined decibel reading when a 70 dB source is added with an 80

dB source of sound?

Intensity and Distance

1.

The sound level at a point 5 m from a speaker is 60 dB. What is the sound level at
a distance of:
a) *10 m?
b) *2.5 m?
*using an approximation method
c) 20 m?

2.

The sound level from a speaker playing music is 40 dB when heard from a
distance of 50 m. What will the sound level be for people who are just 10 m from
the speaker?

3. The noise from a jet engine is 140 dB when heard from a distance of 50 m. What
will the sound level be when the jet is 2.0 km away?

ANSWERS
INTENSITY and DECIBELS
1a) amplitude of vibration
b) 0.020 W/m2
c) 103 dB
2. 47 dB
3.
110-9 W/m2, 110-5 W/m2, 0.1 W/m2
4.
810-13 W
5.
70 dB
6.
90 dB
7.
87 dB
8.
77 dB
9.
80.4 dB
Intensity and Distance
1a) 54 dB
b) 66 dB
2. 54 dB
3. 88dB

48 dB