Calculating the Intensity of Sound Using Calculus

by Jithin Thomas

Submitted : Fall 2019

 Decibels is a widely used unit in order to calculate the loudness of a sound relative to that of the human hearing capacity. Decibels have come into play in the lives of every human being in many forms majority of these forms not known to the full extent of the general public. Calculations of decibels have been utilised by many aerospace cooperation inorder to measure the intensity of the sounds produced by a newly created engine. One famous example of sound that changed the aerospace industry is the invention of the vastly popular supersonic airliner produced by the french and the british called the concord. It was noted that whenever the concord was travelling at supersonic speed the sonic boom could have been heard miles away shattering windows.Therefore due to many drawbacks (loudness being one of them) the concorde was retired out of service in 2003. The measurement of decibels was not only used in the aviation world but also plays an important role for sound engineering, when designing a theater, Automotive engineers, chemical engineers if not anyone who needs to measure the loudness and the intensity of the sound in the production of a product. Using the intensity of the sound produced by the speaker, using mathematical analysis and experimental procedure, the loudness of the speaker will be calculated in relation to the distance from the power source.

[ Back ]