Question

If a large housefly 3.0 m away from you makes a noise of 40.0 dB, what is the noise level of 1000 flies at that distance, assuming interference has a negligible effect?

a) (60.0 dB)
b) (70.0 dB)
c) (80.0 dB)
d) (90.0 dB)

Answer 1

The noise level of 1000 flies at a distance of 3.0 m can be calculated using the concept of intensity level and the formula for calculating intensity level in decibels. The noise level of 1000 flies in this case is approximately 60.0 dB.

Step-by-step explanation:

The noise level of 1000 flies at the same distance can be determined using the concept of intensity level. Intensity level, measured in decibels (dB), is calculated using the formula:

IL = 10 log10(I/I0)

Where IL is the intensity level, I is the intensity of the sound, and I0 is the reference intensity (generally taken as 10^(-12) W/m^2).

Given that the noise of a single fly is 40.0 dB, we can calculate the intensity of the sound made by a single fly using the formula:

I = I0 10^(IL/10)

Then, we can calculate the intensity produced by 1000 flies at the same distance:

Itotal = 1000 * I

Finally, we can find the intensity level produced by 1000 flies by plugging in the value of Itotal into the formula for intensity level:

ILtotal = 10 log10(Itotal/I0)

Calculating the values, we find that the noise level of 1000 flies at that distance is approximately 60.0 dB.