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What will be the resultant of two noise levels of 81 dB and 90 dB generated by two independent sources?

Sound levels in decibels combine on a logarithmic scale, not by simple addition: \(L=10\log_{10}(10^{8.1}+10^{9.0})\). This is \(10\log_{10}(1.126\times10^{9})\approx90.5\)…

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What will be the resultant of two noise levels of 81 dB and 90 dB generated by two independent sources?

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Sound levels in decibels combine on a logarithmic scale, not by simple addition: L=10log⁡10(108.1+109.0)L=10\log_{10}(10^{8.1}+10^{9.0}). This is 10log⁡10(1.126×109)≈90.510\log_{10}(1.126\times10^{9})\approx90.5 dB, about 91 dB. Because 81 dB is 9 dB below 90 dB, it carries only about one eighth of the energy and adds only about half a decibel, so results such as 96 dB or 118 dB are far too high.

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