How/who originated decibels?
Read about the history of bels and decibels (a decibel is one-tenth of a bel): (The above information is from http://otto.cmr.fsu.edu/~elec4mus/topics/decibel.html.) Is it only the decibel level that is important in terms of damage to the ears, or does the frequency of the sound matter as well? In other words are high or low frequencies more dangerous than those in the middle range? The decibel level and time of exposure are the most important considerations. Some sounds — such as gunfire, explosions, etc. — are so loud (140 or more decibels), ANY brief exposure to them at close range can cause permanent damage and hearing loss. Sounds at 100 decibels (such as loud music through stereo headphones) will take a while longer (1-2 hours of exposure) to cause permanent damage to hair cells in the cochlea. The frequency of the sound is less important than its decibel level and time of exposure. I have a college campus that is now at the end of a new runway. The jets take off directly over
