Doubling Sound means:

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Multiple Choice

Doubling Sound means:

Explanation:
Doubling the sound refers to doubling the acoustic power (intensity), not doubling the pressure. The decibel scale is logarithmic, and a 3 dB increase corresponds to doubling the power. Since SPL is tied to power through 10 log10(I/I0), doubling I gives 10 log10(2) ≈ 3 dB. So the sound pressure level rises by about 3 dB when the sound’s power doubles, which matches the statement that you add 3 dB to the current level. Doubling pressure would be about a 6 dB increase, and the other options misinterpret how decibels relate to physical quantities.

Doubling the sound refers to doubling the acoustic power (intensity), not doubling the pressure. The decibel scale is logarithmic, and a 3 dB increase corresponds to doubling the power. Since SPL is tied to power through 10 log10(I/I0), doubling I gives 10 log10(2) ≈ 3 dB. So the sound pressure level rises by about 3 dB when the sound’s power doubles, which matches the statement that you add 3 dB to the current level. Doubling pressure would be about a 6 dB increase, and the other options misinterpret how decibels relate to physical quantities.

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