Notes for EE418x

Project: High Speed Systems Engineering

CISE-EAI
Last Modified: 9/06

Scales and decibel scales

Prepared for EE 418x
Fall 2006
The issues of scaling, in physical sciences is an issue that is more or less learned based on
experience. When the physical scale that one would like to use is not useful and the
graphs and presentation as too hard to be placed, in a page, the new scales come about.
The purpose of this short write up is to provide the students a brief summary of what are
the most important scales, and in particular for the microwave, RF, optical, and high
speed engineers the issues of dB, the form of this scales, the definition and what is called
the manipulation of the scale is introduced.
A typical student of high speed engineering, are always shocked when the see for the
first time that IL (dB) = Pin (in dBm) - Pout (in dBm). The first question that comes to
mind is how come two dBm units will add to a dB? Please note that dBm and dB are not
units and are scales. The following hopefully clarifies this issue and helps the student
know other important notes regarding the scaling.

Different Scales

Linear
Logarithmic scale
Decibel scale

Linear scaling:
This is what is what we are regularly used to. The most frequent scale for time and space
is the linear scale. The origin of this scale is zero, and the scale is defined by he smallest
block (mm, sec, days..)
The most important disadvantage of linear scale is the fact that when trying to have data
with several orders of magnitude all in one scale we have a hard time fitting it to the
linear scale on the same sheet.

Logarithmic scaling:
The block of this scales increase or decrease by a factor of 10 (other type of scaling is
also possible but based 10 is the most common in EE). This scale makes numbers of high
magnitude manageable and allows the user to put several orders of magnitude on the
same axis. The 103 is 3 and 106 is 6.100.2 = 1.58 100.5 is 3 10-2 = 0.01 and so on

Notes for EE418x

Project: High Speed Systems Engineering
CISE-EAI
Last Modified: 9/06

The most important items about this scaling is that negative numbers and zero cannot be
included in this scale.

Decibel Scaling:
This scaling has its origin in comparison of sound intensity. Originally the intensity was
based on a reference (reference to normal human audible power)
The most common use of this in Electrical Engineering is in also for comparison of
power.
dB = 10 log(P1/P2)
Some examples
P1= 20 W P2 = 5W
dB=10 log(20/5)= 10 log(4) = 10(0.62) = 6.02 dB or about 6 dB
So, all microwave engineers will get use to tables of scale the ratio to the dB
The following is the table for power ratio dB = 10 log(P1/P2)
Ratio
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

dB
0
3
5
6
7
8
8.5

Ratio
8
9
10
100
103
104
105

dB
9
9.5
10
20
30
40
50

One can also make the voltage ration and current ration of volts and amperes ratio
dBvolt = 20 log(V1/V2)

and dBcurr = 20 log(I1/I2)

as one can see these scale for the same ration result in twice the dB compared to the
power scale.
Important note:
dB is not a physical quantity. dB is really result of a ration of two physical quantities. So
the dB is really a unit-less quantity. Just like radians, degrees

Notes for EE418x

Project: High Speed Systems Engineering
CISE-EAI
Last Modified: 9/06

Product of two rations is equivalent to the sum of their dBs

Division of two rations is equivalent to difference of their values in dB

Converting dB values to pure numbers:

This is reversing the log also known as anti-logarithm
Steps for power inversion:
Step 1: Divide the given value by 10
Step 2: Use inverse log to get the dB/10 to obtain the number
Steps for Voltage and current inversion
Step 1: Divide the given value by 20
Step 2: Use inverse log to get the dB/20 to obtain the number

dBm
This is a scale that a given power is compared to 1mW
dBm=10 log ( P1/1mW)
5W = -23 dBm
8 nW = -51 dBm
20 pW =
-77 dBm
1mW = 0 dBm
3mW = 5 dBm
50 mW = 17 dBm
4kW
= 66 dBm
2.5 MW =
94 dBm

How can I combine dBm and dBs is it possible?

It is possible to combine the dB and dBm.
For example for the insertion loss we have
IL=Pin/Pout
IL (dB) = Pin (in dBm) - Pout (in dBm)
Pout (in dBm) = Pin (in dBm) - IL (dB)
One can extend this to the idea of

Notes for EE418x

Project: High Speed Systems Engineering
CISE-EAI
Last Modified: 9/06

Gain where G= Pout/Pin

or
Return loss RL= Pin/Pref
Important notes when manipulation dB and dBm
Operation
dB + dB

Resulting Units
dB

dB - dB

dB

dBm+dBm

Not defined

dBm-dBm

dB

dBm+dB
dBm-dB

dBm
dBm

Meaning
Product of two
numbers
Ratio of two
numbers
Multiplying two
powers
Ration of two
powers
Power amplification
Power attenuation

Is it allowed?
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y

Reference for the above material: Microwaves Made Simple: Principles and Applications W. Stephen Cheung and
Frederic H. Levien, Artech House, Inc. 1985 Unfortunately this book is out of pring