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Sound converter
Decibels and bels — a ratio, not an amount. 3 units, converted from one table of exact factors.
—
1 decibel in every other sound unit
Computed by the same engine that runs the converter above, so these can never drift apart from it.
| From | Equals | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 decibel | 0.1 | bel (B) |
| 1 decibel | 0.1151292546 | neper (Np) |
What each unit actually is
Most converters give you a number and stop. Where a figure is exact by definition we say so, and where it is an average or shifts with conditions we say that too — that is usually the thing you needed to know.
| Unit | Symbol | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| decibel | dB | A tenth of a bel. It measures a RATIO on a log scale, so decibels add rather than multiply — doubling the power adds about 3 dB. |
| bel | B | Ten decibels. Rarely used on its own. |
| neper | Np | The natural-log version, used in signal theory. |
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