Question

Ten cars in a circle at a boom box competition produce a 120-dB sound intensity level at the center of the circle. What is the average sound intensity level produced there by each stereo, assuming interference effects can be neglected?

a) (100 dB)
b) (110 dB)
c) (120 dB)
d) (130 dB)

Answer 1

The average sound intensity level produced by each stereo is 110 dB when ten cars produce a combined sound intensity level of 120 dB in a circle, assuming interference effects are negligible.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked what the average sound intensity level produced by each stereo is when ten cars in a circle produce a combined 120-dB sound intensity at the center, assuming no interference effects. The decibel scale is logarithmic, and every 10 dB represents a tenfold increase in intensity.

Therefore, each car contributes equally to the total sound level. When 10 sound sources each produce the same sound intensity level, their combined sound intensity level is 10 dB greater than the level of each individual sound source. Thus, if 10 cars create a combined level of 120 dB, the sound intensity level of each car is 120 dB - 10 dB, which is 110 dB.