PSYB51H3 Chapter 9: Terms
Document Summary
Amplitude / intensity: the magnitude of displacement (increase or decrease) of a sound pressure wave. Frequency: for sound, the number of times per second that a pattern of pressure change repeats. Hertz (hz): a unit of measure for frequency. Loudness: the psychological aspect of sound related to perceived intensity (amplitude) Pitch: the psychological aspect of sound related mainly to the fundamental frequency. Decibel (db): a unit of measure for the physical intensity of sound. db defines the difference between two sounds as the ratio between two sound pressures. Each 10:1 sound pressure ratio equals 20 db, and a 100:1 ratio equals 40 db db = 20 log(p/p0). P is the pressure (intensity) of the sound being described. P0 is a reference pressure and is typically define to be . 0002 dyne / cm2. Levels are defined as db spl (sound pressure level)
