A conversation is about 60 decibels.
Decibel levels of everyday noises are easy to gauge once you know a few simple guidelines. Decibel levels vary according to how close you are to an object making noise. According to the Children's Hearing Institute, we experience decibel levels between 40 and 100 on a daily basis.
Instructions
1. A shout can be heard as low talking 32 yards away on a football field.
Estimate and compare the loudness of someone's shout based on your distance from the person: Someone shouting can give off a decibel level of 80. If you are within 3 feet of the shouting person to start, the noise level will be reduced to a quiet conversation level if you move about 100 feet away from them. This is because decibel levels are reduced by six for every time you double the distance between you and the noise.
For example, the same person shouting will be heard at 74 decibels when you are 6 feet away from them, whereas they will be heard at 68 decibels when you are 12 feet away from them, and so on. When you continue the equation, the shouting will be heard at 62 decibels from 24 feet away, 56 decibels from 48 feet away, and 50 decibels from 96 feet away.
Ninety-six feet is 32 yards on a football field. At twice this distance, or 192 feet, the shout will be heard at 42 decibels, which is within the range of a whisper.
2. A subway train passing at 200 feet away is about 95 decibels.
Learn the decibel ranges of other common noises, so you can gauge how loud your environment is: According to William Hamby of the Hyperdynamics company, the sound of a pin dropping is 15 decibels, whereas a home stereo at the highest volume can start to cause pain just above 100 decibels. Galen Carol Audio company states that a subway train passing at 200 feet away is about 95 decibels. MP3 players may reach decibel levels over 100. Therefore, listening to an MP3 player at 105 decibels is the same decibel range as a chainsaw or a snowmobile.
3. A baby's cry regularly reaches 80 decibels.
Learn how loud decibel levels are relative to one another: The American Speech Language Hearing Association reports that pain for individuals may range from 120 decibels and above. However, the BBC News reports that the Royal National Institute for Deaf discovered in a study that repeated listening to 80 decibel noise levels or above could threaten hearing loss.
Additionally, according to the Department of Energy's Environmental Earth Science Archive, perceived loudness doubles for each 10 decibel increase. For example, If your baby's cry regularly reaches 80 decibels (which, according to the "American Family Physician Journal" is well within the norm for baby crying loudness), and you believe your baby just got twice as loud, he has probably just reached 90 decibels.
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