A sound intensity of 55 decibels is not very great; quiet conversation in a home is approximately 50 decibels. A sound intensity of 60 decibels is comparable to a conversation that takes in a public place, such as a restaurant.
In physics, the decibel is the standard unit used to measure sound intensity. The abbreviation for decibel is dB. The decibel scale starts at 0 dB, which is very faint. On this scale, the sound intensity increases by 10 times for every 10 decibels. For example, the sound intensity at 10 dB is 10 times greater than at 0 dB. However, at 30 dB, the intensity is 1000 times greater than at 0 dB.
A jet taking off, which is about 150 dB, is an example of a very loud noise that can affect a person’s hearing.
