Question

Suppose a person has a 50-dB hearing loss at all frequencies. By how many factors of 10 will low-intensity sounds need to be amplified to seem normal to this person?

a) 50
b) 100
c) 10
d) 500

Answer 1

A person with a 50-dB hearing loss at all frequencies would need low-intensity sounds to be amplified by a factor of 10^5 to seem normal.

Step-by-step explanation:

A 50-dB hearing loss at all frequencies means that sounds need to be amplified by a factor of 10^(50/10) (using the logarithmic relationship between decibels and amplitude) to seem normal to the person. Simplifying this equation, we get that sounds need to be amplified by a factor of 10^5.