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Free Sound Level Distance Calculator

How sound pressure level (dB) drops with distance.

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Result

Sound level at new distance

70.0 dB

Change-20.0 dB

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Short answer

How sound pressure level (dB) drops with distance.

What is the Sound Level Distance Calculator?

How sound pressure level (dB) drops with distance.

How does the Sound Level Distance Calculator work?

Enter the inputs above and read the result.

Formula

L2 = L1 − 20·log10(d2 / d1)

Variables

  • LSound pressure level in dB

Explanation

For a point source in free field, sound level drops 6 dB for each doubling of distance.

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            Related concepts

            The Sound Level Distance Calculator sits inside the Everyday & Utility Calculators hub, in the science & electrical cluster. Physics, chemistry and electrical engineering formulas. Understanding the terms below makes the output easier to interpret and easier to compare against neighbouring measures.

            voltagecurrentresistanceampacitymolaritypressure

            Practical use cases and industry applications

            Understanding Sound Level Distance

            How sound pressure level (dB) drops with distance. Within everyday & utility calculators, sound level distance belongs to the science & electrical cluster, where it shares terminology and assumptions with closely related tools.

            Learning how sound level distance is calculated

            For a point source in free field, sound level drops 6 dB for each doubling of distance. Working through the variables one at a time — L — makes the result reproducible by hand and easier to sanity-check.

            Using sound level distance to make a decision

            Because outputs depend on the assumptions you enter, run more than one scenario before committing to a figure.

            How sound level distance compares with related measures

            voltage, current, resistance, ampacity all describe adjacent aspects of science & electrical. Comparing this calculator's output against those measures — using the related tools listed on this page — prevents a single metric from being read in isolation.

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