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(Solved): (Part B)Although 0 dB is often referred to as the lower threshold of human hearing, it is important ...
(Part B)
Although 0 dB is often referred to as the lower threshold of human hearing, it is important to realize that the human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies of sound. In other words, a particular noise may sound louder or softer depending on the frequency of the sound wave being transmitted. Because of this variation, scientists have defined A unit of loudness, called a phon, to represent the intensity of sound waves with a frequency of 1000 Hz: A 60-phon sound is one that is perceived by the human ear to have the same loudness as a sound wave with an intensity of 60 dB and a frequency of 1000 Hz. for a sound at 100 Hz, what is the decibel level necessary for human perception?
Figure 1 of 1
There is no simple mathematical formula for converting phons into decibels. The relationship between these two measures of intensity has been determined by experiment. The graph (Figure 1) displays the perceived loudness of sound waves of different intensities (vertical axis) and frequencies (horizontal axis). Each individual curve represents a sound that is perceived by the human ear to be equivalent to a specific phon level. To practice reading this graph, note that a sound wave of intensity \( 70 \mathrm{~dB} \) that vibrates with a frequency of \( 50 \mathrm{~Hz} \) is perceived by the human ear as a 40 -phon sound. The lowest curve, labeled 0 phons, forms the true lower limit to human sound perception. (Actually. even this statement is not completely true owing to variations in sound perception in the general population.)
Expert Answer
It is given that 0 phons forms the true lower limit to hum