Question

By how many decibels does the intensity level of a sound increase when you triple the intensity of a source of sound?

a) 3.0 dB
b) 4.8 dB
c) 12 dB
d) 9.5 dB
e) 6.0 dB

Answer 1

When you triple the intensity of a sound source, the sound level increases by 10 dB.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you triple the intensity of a source of sound, the sound level increases by 10 dB. This is because the decibel scale is logarithmic, and a tripling of intensity corresponds to a 10-fold increase in power. Since each 10-fold increase corresponds to an increase of 10 dB, tripling the intensity results in an increase of 10 dB.