What are decibels?
Sound levels are measured in decibels (dB), which are logarithmic measures of the magnitude of a sound as the average person hears it. Decibel means 1/10 of Bel (named after Alexander Graham Bell). Under the decibel unit of measure, a 10 dB increase will be perceived by most people to be a doubling in loudness, i.e., 80 dB seems twice as loud as 70 dB.