By the usual rules for measuring any real physical entity, the decibel is shown to be the unit of level of a quantity proportional to power. One decibel is the level of the sound pressure that is 10(1/20)(symbol)1.12 times the reference pressure. The decibel is not a reference sample of power or voltage, so one cannot express a power or voltage in decibels; one does express a power or voltage level in decibels.

Author: Ashley, J. Robert
Affiliation: University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO
JAES Volume 19 Issue 6 p. 516; June 1971
Publication Date: June 1, 1971 Import into BibTeX
Permalink: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=2165

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