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INTENSITY OF SOUND

The objectives of this experiment are:

• To understand the concept of sound intensity and how it is measured.

• To learn how to operate a Sound Level Meter

APPARATUS: Radio Shack Sound Level Meter, meterstick, function generator,

headphones.

INTRODUCTION

Sound energy is conveyed to our ears (or instruments) by means of a wave motion
through some medium (gas, liquid, or solid). At any given point in the medium the
energy content of the wave disturbance varies as the square of the amplitude of the wave
motion. That is, if the amplitude of the oscillation is doubled the energy of the wave
motion is quadrupled.

The common method in gauging this energy transport is to measure the rate at which
energy is passing a certain point. This concept involves sound intensity. Consider an area
that is normal to the direction of the sound waves. If the area is a unit, namely one square
meter, the quantity of sound energy expressed in Joules that passes through the unit area
in one second defines the sound intensity. Recall the time rate of energy transfer is called
"power". Thus, sound intensity is the power per square meter. The common unit of power
is the watt ( 1w = 1 Joules/s).

Normally, sound intensity is measured as a relative ratio to some standard intensity, Io.
The response of the human ear to sound waves follows closely to a logarithmic function
of the form R = k log I , where R is the response to a sound that has an intensity of I, and
k is a constant of proportionality . Thus, we define the relative sound intensity level as
I
SL(dB) = 10log
Io

The unit of SL is called the decibel (abbreviated dB). I is the intensity of the sound
expressed in watts per meter and Io is the reference intensity defined to be 10-12 w/m2.
This value of Io is the threshold (minimum sound intensity) of hearing at 1 kHz for a
young person under the best circumstances. Notice that I/Io is a unitless ratio; the
intensities need only to be expressed in the same units, not necessarily w/m2.

Examples:

1. If we measured a sound intensity to be 560 greater that the threshold reference, what
would be the sound level expressed in dB?
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560∗10 −12
SL(dB) = 10log( −12
) = 10log(560) = 27.5dB
10

2. The threshold of pain is about 120 dB. How many times greater in intensity (in w/m2)
is this?
I
SL(dB) = 10log( )
Io
120 I
= 12 = log( −12 )
10 10
I
1012 =
Io
I = 1watt / m2

Notice that the approximate threshold

of pain is a factor of 1012 (that's a
trillion!) greater than the threshold of
hearing.

The Sound Level Meter

The instrument we will use for

measuring sound levels is a Sound
Level Meter (SLM) shown to the
right.* It consists of a microphone to
detect the sound and convert it to a
voltage, an amplifier to increase this
voltage, weighting circuitry which is
explained below, and a meter to
display the sound level in dB.

The SLM has three switches to control

its operation:

Range Selector: The rotary switch is

used to select one of seven sound level
ranges, each spanning 16 dB. Numbers
of RANGE switch refer to the center-
points of the seven ranges. The needle
indicator shows the actual sound level
as a displacement from the center-
point. Figure 1
Examples: Suppose RANGE is set to

* Adapted from the owner's manual of the Radio Shack Sound Level Meter, ©1985 Tandy Corporation.
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80, and meter scale reads -3. Actual sound level is 80-3 = 77 dB. If the meter scale reads
0 (same RANGE setting), the actual sound level is 80 + 0 = 80 dB.

Response Selector: In FAST position, the meter will react quickly to the change in the
sound level, giving you an indication of peak sound levels present in the environment. On
SLOW position, the meter is damped and indicates an averaged valued for the sound
level. The effect of bursts of sounds (intensity peaks) is minimized in the SLOW
response.

Weighting Selector: The frequency response of the Sound Level Meter for each
weighting characteristic is shown below. The C-weighting curve is nearly uniform over
the frequency range from 32-10,000 Hz, thus giving an indication of overall sound level.
The A-weighting characteristic responds primarily to frequency ranges in the 500-10,000
Hz range, which is the area of the greatest sensitivity of the human ear.

Taking Accurate Measurements: Select the RESPONSE and WEIGHTING. If the

sound source consists of short bursts, or if you are interested in peak values only, set the
RESPONSE to FAST. To measure average sound levels, use the SLOW setting. Select
A-weighting for noise level determinations, and C-level for measuring sound levels
which stay at 90 dB or above, or for which you wish to eliminate the ear's weighting
factor.

Start with the HIGHEST RANGE setting (120 dB) and work downward until there is
significant deflection of the needle. For GREATEST ACCURACY, always use the lower
of any two possible settings.

Example: If the RANGE is set to 80 dB and the meter reads around -5, reset the RANGE
to 70 dB and the meter will read +5, for an actual sound level of 75 dB.
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The Sone

The decibel is a measure of the sound level which does not include the human perception
of loudness. The SONE is a unit that measures the perceived loudness of a sound. It is
defined in terms of decibels and frequency:

1 Sone = 40 dB @ 1 kHz

= the loudness of a 1 kHz sound with a S.L. of 40 dB.

At 1 kHz, the loudness in Sones can be related to the S.L. in decibels by the following
formula:

Loudness (Sones) = 2(S.L. in dB - 40)/10

Example: What is the loudness in Sones of a 50 dB sound

Loudness (Sones) = 2(50-40)/10 = 21 = 2

Sones are useful units in that 2 Sones are twice as loud as 1 Sone and 4 Sones are 4 times
as loud as 1 Sone. However, the ear has no meterstick to judge loudness very accurately.
The interpretation of the data from the ear is done by the brain, not by a more exact
electronic meter. In this part of the experiment, we will try to find out how accurate the
Sone scale is.
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INTENSITY OF SOUND
LAB REPORT FORM
NAME: _____________________________________ DATE: _____________

PARTNER(S): _______________________________________________________

Procedure 1:

A. Familiarize yourself with the operation of the Sound Level Meter by measuring the
background sound level of the lab room. Turn on the meter by setting the range dial to
120 dB. Set the response of the meter to SLOW and the weighting to C. Measure the
background sound level of the room by rotating the weighting to C. Measure the
background sound level of the room by rotating the range knob down through the ranges
until the meter moves. Also, measure the background sound level using the A weighting
of the meter.

Background Sound Level with C weighting = ________________________

Background Sound Level with A weighting = ________________________

Calculate the difference between the S.L. measurred with the C and A weighting and use
the graph (Figure 2) to estimate the average frequency of the background sound.

B. Measure the sound level of a person talking from various distances. you will want to
use FAST response to get peak sound levels. This does not have to be quantitatively
accurate. Use the meter stick to measure the distances.

Distance Sound Level

( ) (dB)
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Question One: What role does distance play in the sound intensity? Explain your
conclusions.

Part Two:

Procedure Part Two:

A. Connect the function generator to the headphones. Set the generator to a 1 kHz sine
wave. Put the Sound Level Meter microphone next to one earpiece of the headphones and
adjust the intensity to 60 dB. The OUTPUT knob on the function generator adjusts the
voltage and resulting intensity to the headphones. Also make sure that all of the other
knobs are pushed IN and turned fully counter-clockwise (off).

Question Two: as for the Sound Level Meter, which weighting should you use? Why.

Question Three: How many Sones is this? Show your calculation.

Put on the headphones. Now adjust the function generator until the sound is twice as
loud. Your calculation should have shown that the original sound is 4 Sones. Now you
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have a sound level twice that or 8 Sones. Take off the headphones and measure the sound
level in dB using the Sound Level Meter. Repeat you adjustment several times to see how
reproducible it is. (Lab partners can try it too.) Now double the loudness again (16 Sones)
and measure the sound level in dB. Repeat again for 32 Sones. If the sound is too loud for
your ear, STOP! Be careful not to hurt your hearing.

Compare your data to the theoretical prediction that the doubling of loudness in Sones is
the equivalent of an increase in loudness by 10 dB. Calculate the percent deviation
between the two.

Deviation (%) = 100% * ( [ experimental - theoretical ]/ theoretical )

Loudness Theoretical Sound Measured Sound Deviation

Level Level
(Sones) (dB) (dB) (%)

B. Now set the function generator to 100 Hz sine wave . Set the Sound Level Meter to
"A" weighting. Now adjust the loudness from the headphones for 60 dB. Listen Repeat
this for 1 k Hz. Which signal sounds louder?

Louder signal is: ___________________________________

Try repeating this for "C" weighting.

Signal Loudness "A" Loudness "C" Sones - "A" Sones - "C"

Weighting Weighting Weighting Weighting
(Hz) (dB) (dB) (Sones) (Sones)

100

1000
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