Final answer:
A decibel represents 10¹ or ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two sound intensities, where 'deci-' indicates one-tenth of a bel.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct power of 10 that represents a decibel is 10¹ (10 to the power of 1). This is because a decibel is defined as ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two sound intensities. The prefix deci- in decibel means 'one-tenth,' and it indicates that a decibel is one-tenth of a bel. However, when we are measuring sound intensity levels, we use the decibel, where sound intensity level in decibels (dB) is calculated using the formula ß(dB) = 10 log₁₀ (I/I₀), with I being the sound intensity in watts per meter squared and I₀ being the reference intensity of 10⁻¹² W/m².