Which of the following best describes the response of ears to a sound's intensity I?

Question

Which of the following best describes the response of ears to a sound's intensity I?

A) ∝ I²

B) ∝ I

C) ∝ log₁₀I

D) ∝ √I

Answer 1

The answer is C, our ears respond logarithmically to sound intensity, hence the use of decibels d = (10 DB) log₁₀ (I/I_o) because experiments show that doubling the intensity of sound produces only a small (3 dB) increase in perceived loudness d.