Calculating Intensities and DeciBel Ratings

The DeciBel and Intensity Calculations Video Tutorial explains the equations for calculating intensity and deciBel values and demonstrates their use with five example problems. Numerous examples, illustrations, and animations assist in the explanations.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

How do you calculate the deciBel rating from the intensity value and vice versa?
How do changes in the distance from the source factor into these calculations?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

The Calculator Pad, Sound Waves Chapter: Problem Sets SM6, SM7, and SM8
When you need additional practice with feedback and opportunities for correction, our Calculator Pad is a great place to get it. Test your problem solving ability with one or more of our three problem sets.

Concept Builders, Waves and Sound Chapter - DeciBel Scale
Need practice with comparing two sounds in terms of deciBels and intensities? This is the place to visit. Great practice is waiting for you.

Minds On Physics, Sound and Music Module, Mission SM3 -Sound Intensity and deciBel Levels
A Minds On Physics mission is always a great follow-up to a lesson. Give this one a try once you think you have a handle on the relationships between intensity, power, energy, distance, and the deciBel rating.

Science Reasoning Center, Sound Waves Chapter: Sound Intensity and the DeciBel System
A Science Reasoning Center activity is a great place to sharpen your science process skills. Learn to interpret data and read graphs and draw conclusions that are supported by evidence. This activity is all about the same topic as the video.

Physics Tutorial, Sound Waves and Music Chapter: Intensity and the deciBel Scale
This page from Lesson 2 of our written tutorial provides a great introduction to the deciBel scale. Use it if you need to quickly review.

Teacher Resources

Curriculum Corner: Sound and Music Chapter: Sound Intensity and the DeciBel System
Our Think Sheets are useful in-class tools for processing a concept. This one-page Think Sheet provides a great review of the concepts of intensity and deciBels.

The Calculator Pad, Sound Waves Chapter: Problem Sets SM6, SM7, and SM8
When students need additional practice with feedback and opportunities for correction, our Calculator Pad is a great place to send them. And if you have a Task Tracker subscription with CalcPad enabled, you can make your own custom problem sets from our problems and even write your own problems. For the low cost, it is an awesome tool. And its not too bad for free either.

Minds On Physics, Sound and Music Module, Mission SM3 -Sound Intensity and deciBel Levels
A Minds On Physics mission will always give a student a strenuous workout in close reading, critical thinking, and conceptual reasoning. When you feel students have a grasp of the concepts, it's time to test their understanding with a MOP mission. This particular one is closely correlated to the video. Use it with Task Tracker and grab student scores after the due date.

Concept Builders, Waves and Sound Chapter - DeciBel Scale
Do your students need practice with deciBels? This is the place to send them. You will find a collection of conceptual questions like those from Slide 7 of the presentation. Great practice is waiting for you. And if you have a Task Tracker account, you can make it an at-home assignment and gather the schools when the assignment is over.

Science Reasoning Center, Sound Waves Chapter: Sound Intensity and the deciBel System
A Science Reasoning Center activity is a great place to sharpen students' science process skills. They will learn to interpret data and read graphs and draw conclusions that are supported by evidence. This activity is all about the same topic as the video. And if you like this one, you will find another activity on the equal loudness curves and the phon scale.

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.