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Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Logs, Bels, and Decibels
Section 3: Adding Decibels
Section 4: Subtracting Decibels
Problems

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1 Navigation Notes: Adding Decibels
2 Browser Notes
3 Objectives and Purpose
Section 1: Introduction
4 What is a Bel?
5 Bels Follow "Powers of 10"
6 Examples of Bels and Powers of Ten
7 Examples of Reference Values
8 So... What's a Decibel?
9 Progress Check, Section 1

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Section 2: Exponents, Logs, and Bels
10 Exponents, Logs, and Bels
11 Calculating a Log
12 A Log-calculation Example
13 Get Ready to Calculate some Logs!
14 Log-calculation Practice
15 About the In-betweens!
16 Work it Backwards!
17 Rounding is Dangerous!
18 Progress Check, Section 2

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Section 3: Adding decibels
19 Decibels of Sound-pressure Level: slightly more complex!
20 But we can make it look familiar!
21 CADET!
22 The Trick is Back-calculating the Value for the Ratio
23 Example: Back-calculating the Ratio
24 Work it backwards to check our work!
25 Let's put this knowledge to work!
26 Let's get the ratio for machine A!
27 Let's get the ratio for machine B!
28 Let's add the ratios and calculate the combined dB!
29 What ... 88 + 90 = 92?
30 What is 88 dB + 88 dB?
31 When adding equal decibels, just add three to either.
32 Chart for adding two decibel values
33 Progress Check, Section 3

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Section 4: Subtracting decibels
34 Section 4: Let's Subtract!
35 How I find Machine A's dB...
36 How I find Machine B's dB...
37 Let's back check ...
38 Let's review this problem ...
39 Progress Check, Section 4

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db40 decibel Problem #1: addition
db41 decibel Problem #2: addition
db42 decibel Problem #3: subtraction
db43 decibel Problem #4: subtraction

Adding Decibels
From the top of this screen:
 Click Next to move forward in this exercise.
 Click Previous to back up.
 Click Contents for a table of contents
(to return from Contents without jumping anywhere,
click "back" on your browser).

Browser Notes
If both 102 and 102 appear to be "one hundred and two", and both lp and lp appear to be lp, please read
the browser comments below. Otherwise, click next to begin this exercise.
In this exercise, exponents (letters and numbers raised above the normal line of text) and subscripts (letters and
numbers dropped below the normal line of text) are required. Netscape 3.0 and Internet Explorer 3.0 (and later
versions) should respond properly to the HTML code necessary to provide exponents and subscripts.

Lesson Objectives and Purpose

Objectives: given two decibel values as indicated by a sound-level meter:
(1) Add the individual values to determine the combined decibel value.
(2) Subtract the two decibel values to determine the difference.
Purpose - to explain the "decibel", the relationship of decibels to logarithms, to provide instruction on the
calculation procedures, and to provide problems to determine accomplishment of the objectives.
 Section 1: What is a Bel?
A bel (symbolized B) was named by Bell Laboratories in honor of Alexander Graham Bell. The bel was
invented to deal with amplifier gains and attenuator reductions in electronic circuits.
A bel is an indicator (without dimensional units) which converts ratios between reference values and actual
values into small, convenient, dimension-free values. Mathematically:

Bels Follow "Powers of 10"

 If one circumstance is measured and found to be ten times larger than the reference value, it is one
power of 10 larger - or "1 bel greater".

 If another circumstance is 100 times larger than the reference, it is two powers of 10 larger - or "2
bels greater".

 If a third is 1,000,000 times larger than the reference value, it is six powers of 10 larger - or "6 bels
greater"!

Examples of Bels and Powers of Ten

Below, bels imply that some measure is 10x times greater
than a defined reference measure. "x" is the power of ten exponent.

power of ten is because is --- bels

100 1 by mathematical definition 0

101 10 by mathematical definition 1

102 100 10 X 10 2

103 1,000 10 X 10 X 10 3

104 10,000 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 4

105 100,000 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 5

106 1,000,000 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 6

Examples of Reference Values

In electronics, there are a number of reference values - such as:
dBv = 1 volt
dBm = 1 milliwatt at 600 ohms
For decibels of sound-pressure level (symbolized dB Lp), the reference value is usually 0.00002 Newton/M2
For a bel or decibel "to mean anything under practical application", the reference value must be known.

So... What's a Decibel?

In the metric system of measurements, "deci" means one tenth. This means that there are 10 decibels
(symbolized dB) for each bel. Mathematically:
dB = 0.1 bel
bel = 10 dB
When dealing directly with sound-pressure, decibels of sound-pressure level ( dB L p ) have an additional
complexity, covered later in this exercise.
Calculating a Log
To learn how to perform decibel calculations, one must learn how to perform log-related calculations.
Find your calculator's log button.
Do not confuse the log button with the ln button.
( ln is log base e and we don't want to open that door! )

Progress Check, Section 1

At this point, you should be able to:
 Define bel
 Define decibel
 Define reference value
 Write the reference value for dB Lp

Section 2: Exponents, Logs, and Bels

A given exponent "x" is a "logarithm base 10" for the number represented as 10x.
As long as it is given that a logarithm is based on powers of 10, it can just be called a "log". Thus, x is the log
of 10x.
"x", the log, and the bel are all the same (however, for x to be a bel, some measurement must be 10x times
higher than some reference measure)!

A Log-calculation Example
10 = 1000 ... therefore the log of 1000 is 3.
3

Depending on your calculator:

 type 1000 and press log (you should get 3.), or
 press log, type 1000, press = (or exe?) ... you should get 3, or
 read the directions on how to enter 1000 and get a log of 3!
When you are able to accurately request the log of 1000 and get 3, remember the process and click next.

Get Ready to Calculate some Logs!

On the next page, there is a table of numbers with the correct logs provided.
Unless you are proficient in calculating logs, spend a minute practicing the calculation process.
You will frequently need this calculator skill when dealing with decibels.

Log-calculation Practice
number log
1 0
10 1
100 2
10,000 5
100,000,000 8

About the In-betweens!

Most numbers will not correspond to even powers of 10.
Calculate the log of 23,671.
The answer is 4.374216605.
That means 23,671 is the same as 104.374216605!
Work it Backwards!
What number has a log of 4.374216605? To find out, raise 10 to the 4.374216605 power. Possibly, on a
scientific calculator:
 type 10, press xy, type 4.374216605, and press =
 press 10x, type 4.374216605, and press =
 type 4.374216605, press inverse, press log
 or read the directions!
(the answer is 23,671)

Rounding is Dangerous!
Rounding logarithms can have a detrimental impact.
Raise 10 to the 4.37 power.
The answer is approximately 23442,
different from 23,671.
The difference might seems small but in the total calculation process of adding two or more decibel values,
the combined error can be significant.

Progress Check, Section 2

At this point, you should be able to:
 describe the condition where a log is a bel
 express a log as a bel
 express bel as a log
 given a number, calculate a log
 given a log, back-calculate a number

Section 3: Decibels of Sound-pressure Level: slightly more complex!

In dealing with decibels of sound pressure level ( dB Lp ), a slight complexity enters the picture. The reference
value and the actual pressure ( expressed as Newtons per square meter, symbolized N/m2 ) are both squared
in the decibel equation:
 But we can make it look familiar!
However, the basic equation is still ten times the log of a ratio (of the squared actual measure divided by the
squared reference measure):

It is this form of the equation that is useful when adding and subtracting decibels as meter readings (but not
when dealing directly with pressures).

CADET
CADET means Can't Add... Don't Even Try.
This, of course, refers to the direct addition of decibels.
80 dB + 80 dB does not equal 160 dB.
When dealing with decibels, one is dealing with exponential representations of some actual number.
Remember... CADET!

The Trick is Back-calculating the Value for the Ratio

Example: Back-calculating the Ratio

A machine produces a sound-pressure level of 95 decibels at a given position of a sound-level meter. What is
the value associated with the ratio?
 divide the dB Lp by 10: result... 9.5 bels
 raise 10 to the 9.5th power: result.. 3162277660

Work it backwards to check our work!

Determine the number of decibels if the square of the actual pressure divided by the reference pressure is
3162277660 (the pressure units cancel)?
 log 3162277660 = 9.5 (note: bels!)
 decibels = 9.5 X 10 = 95 (same as previous page)!
(Because we didn't round,
the number back-calculates exactly!)

Let's put this knowledge to work!

Suppose, at a given position of a sound-level meter, two machines are nearby.
 When (only) machine "A" is running, the meter reads a sound-pressure level of 88 decibels.
 When (only) machine "B" is running, the meter reads a sound-pressure level of 90 decibels.
Problem: what sound-pressure level should the meter display if both machines are running at the same time?

Let's find the ratio for machine A!

With only machine "A" running, the meter indicates 88 decibels.
 divide decibels by 10 to get bels: 88/10 = 8.8 bels
 Machine A's ratio = 108.8 = 630957344.5
( A back-check gives 88 dB, so the ratio value is correct. )

Let's find the ratio for machine B!

With only machine "B" running, the meter indicates 90 decibels.
 divide decibels by 10 to get bels: 90/10 = 9.0 bels
 Machine A's ratio = 109.0 = 1,000,000,000
( A back-check gives 90 dB, so the ratio value is correct. )

Let's add the ratios and calculate the combined dB!

The two ratios may now be added:
 630957344.5 + 1,000,000,000 = 1630957345
 Take the log of 1630957345 to get 9.212442603...
 Multiply by 10 to get decibels: 92 (answer)
( Note: since the original measures have two significant figures, the combined expectation of 92 dB was
rounded appropriately.)

What ... 88 + 90 = 92?

Yes, 88 dB + 90 dB = 92 dB!
Instead, what if each machine individually produced 88 decibels?
What reading would be expected if both machines were simultaneously running?
Try solving this problem before continuing.

What is 88 dB + 88 dB?
 88/10 = 8.8
 108.8 = 630957344.5
 630957344.5 + 630957344.5 = 1261914689
 log 1261914689 = 9.101029996
 10 X 9.101029996 = 91 dB
88 dB + 88 dB = 91 dB (an increase of 3 dB!)
If you calculated 91 without peeking, congratulations!
 When adding equal decibels, just add three to either.
So, 88 dB + 88 dB = 91 dB (an increase of 3 dB!)
Whenever two equal decibel vales are combined, the result is always 3 dB higher than either of the individual
dB values.
Note: if the dB readings for two sound sources (both running) are equal and one is turned off, the
reading is also reduced by 3 dB.
( Try verifying this, before continuing,
by subtracting 88 from 91 ... )

Chart for Adding Decibels

Click here to see an enlargement of a chart illustrating the number of decibels to add to the highest of two dB
readings, given the difference between the highest and lowest readings.

Progress Check, Section 3

At this point, you should be able to:
 add two given individual dB sources
 explain why 88 dB + 88 dB = 91

Section 4: Let's Subtract!

In a room, the noise with two machines running is 94 dB. When Machine A is turned off, the sound drops to
89 dB. With A and B off, the background dB level is 61 dB.
How many dB's are associated with Machine A?
How many dB's are associated with Machine B?
(Hint: the total is A + B + background)

How I find Machine A's dB...

The dB level from Machine A plus the 61 dB background produces 89 dB at the given measurement point.
The ratio associated with the background is:
106.1 = 1258925.412
The ratio associated with Machine A plus the background is:
108.9 = 794328234.7
The "A + background" ratio minus the background ratio is Machine A's ratio:
 794328234.7 - 1258925.412 = 793069309.3
Converting this back to decibels:
10 log 793069309.3 = 88.99311144 ( Answer: 89 dB )

How I find Machine B's dB...

As was seen, the background being 28 dB lower than Machine A's reading contributes virtually nothing to the
overall noise field. The dB level from Machine B plus the 89 dB from Machine A produces 94 dB at the given
measurement point.
The ratio associated with the total (background + A + B) is:
109.4 = 2511886432
The ratio associated with Machine A plus the (negligible) background is:
108.9 = 794328234.7
The ratio from the total dB minus Machine A's ratio is Machine B's ratio:
2511886432 - 794328234.7 = 1717558197
Converting this back to decibels:
10 log 1717558197 = 92.34911461 ( Answer: 92 dB )

Let's back check ...

Let's add up the three dB levels and see if we get 94 dB:
The ratio associated with the background is:
1258925.412
The ratio associated with Machine A is:
793069309.3
The ratio from Machine B is:
1717558197
Add them up:
1258925.412 + 793069309.3 + 1717558197 = 2511886432
Convert this to decibels:
10 log 2511886432 = 94 ( Answer: 94 dB EXACTLY! )

Let's review this problem ...

The background of 61 dB is insignificant when compared to the 89 decibels produced by machine A.
Machine B contributes 92 dB to the overall level of 94 dB.
Because Machine A is 3 dB less than machine B, Machine A contributes slightly less than 2 dB to Machine B's
dB. The background adds slightly more, totaling up to 94 dB.
 Progress Check, Section 4
At this point, you should be able to:
 add decibels
 subtract decibels