Final answer:
Sound A is louder than Sound B because it has a higher phon level of 85 phons compared to 80 phons for Sound B.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which sound is louder, we must understand that phons are a unit of loudness perception that are used to express the loudness level of a sound by the average person.
Loudness in phons is designed to take into account the frequency response of human hearing.
When comparing sound A (85 phons) and sound B (80 phons), sound A is louder because it has a higher phon level.
Phons are associated with decibels at the frequency of 1000 Hz, meaning that the loudness level corresponds directly to the sound intensity level in decibels at that frequency.
Other frequencies require consulting equal-loudness curves from a graph like Figure 17.38, where sounds that fall on the same curve are perceived as equally loud.
To answer the question - which is louder: sound A (85 phons) or sound B (80 phons)? The correct answer is A) Sound A (85 phons), as it has a higher numeric value in terms of loudness perception.