Loudness perception is logarithmic, which is why decibel scales fit hearing so well.
Evidence
In order to have a better, yet relatively simple, measure of the perceived level of sound, the concept of sound level is defined as a measure that is weighted with frequency so that the level roughly approximates the frequency sensitivity of hearing. Four different weighting curves are defined: A, B, C, and D, as shown in Figure 9.3. The A-weighted sound level is commonly used in noise measurements to characterize the perceived level and the risk of hearing loss. The A weighting slightly emphasizes the levels at mid frequencies and attenuates them at low and high frequencies. When the weighting curve is compared with the inverted equal-loudness curves, it is easy to see that the A weighting is just a very rough estimate. Technical simplicity and extensive use in practice are its advantages. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 988 (
#expands, via linked claim)
Intensity, while it has concrete bearing on what sound will do to the hearing apparatus, is not the same metric as perceived loudness, which doubles with every ten-decibel increase, so that going from 40 to 50 decibels equals a rise of 100 percent. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 53 (
#corroborates, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Logarithmic hearing means equal decibel steps need larger absolute pressure differences; Decibel increases map powers of ten to logarithms; Loudness perception is essentially logarithmic (+4 more)
Related
- Loudness perception is essentially logarithmic (similarity 0.93)
- Loudness scales with frequency squared, requiring large amplitude at low frequencies (similarity 0.90)
- Logarithmic hearing means equal decibel steps need larger absolute pressure differences (similarity 0.89)
- Loudness depends on more than physical sound intensity alone (similarity 0.89)
- Decibel increases map powers of ten to logarithms (similarity 0.88)
- Sound intensity spans a trillion-fold range, forcing a logarithmic scale (similarity 0.88)
- Loudness depends on frequency, angle, duration, and envelope, not just level (similarity 0.87)
- A-weighted decibels are a rough practical approximation of perceived loudness (similarity 0.87)
- Loudness perception requires a tenfold intensity increase to double (similarity 0.87)
- Sound intensity level and sound pressure level are roughly equivalent (similarity 0.86)
- Loudness growth with intensity requires experimental quantification, not intuition (similarity 0.86)
- Perceived loudness and physical sound intensity follow different, non-intuitive mathematical scales (similarity 0.86)
- Loudness is perceptual and unmeasurable directly, while intensity is acoustic and directly quantifiable (similarity 0.86)
- Perceived frequency differences scale logarithmically, not linearly with Hz (similarity 0.86)
- Loudness, measured in sones, depends inherently on frequency content (similarity 0.86)
Broader Connections
- Loudness perception requires a tenfold intensity increase to double
#exemplifies(0.85) - A-weighted decibels are a rough practical approximation of perceived loudness
#expands(0.82) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 988 - Perceived loudness and physical sound intensity follow different, non-intuitive mathematical scales
#corroborates(0.78) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 53 - Loudness depends on frequency, angle, duration, and envelope, not just level
#expands(0.75) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 903