How loud can Humans Hear?
Decibel is the unit used to measure how loud a sound is. Most humans can detect 0 dB sounds.
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan
Most people can tolerate between 11 dB-120 dB. Sound more than 85dB can cause damage to the inner ear which can lead to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
List of volume generated:
Decibel and Hertz don't mean the same thing
Decibel is a measure of volume so it tells us how loud a sound is. On the other hand, hertz is a measure of the frequency of sound waves in which 1hz is equal to 1 cycle per second.
What is the average hearing range of humans?
The average hearing range of humans is between 20Hz to 20,000 Hz. We hear better from 2,000 Hz to 5,000 Hz.
It is normal to become less sensitive to high frequency sound as we grow older.
Did you know that:
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Sound louder than 85dB can damage your ear. The cry of a human baby is at 110dB.
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Most people can tolerate between 11 dB-120 dB. Sound more than 85dB can cause damage to the inner ear which can lead to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
List of volume generated:
- 0 dB - sound of a flying mosquito
- 10 dB - rustling of leaves
- 20 dB - whisper
- 40 dB - quite library
- 60 dB - normal conversation
- 50 dB - rainfall
- 70 dB - shout of a human; vacuum cleaner
- 80 dB - doorbell
- 90 dB - lawnmower; blender
- 110 dB - roar of a lion; cry of a baby human
- 119 dB - chainsaw
- 120 dB - thunder; ambulance siren; rock concert
- 140 dB - gun shot
- 150 dB - firecracker
- 170 dB - shotgun
- 188 dB - call of a blue whale
- 200 dB - atomic bomb explosion
- 230 dB - call of a sperm whale
Decibel and Hertz don't mean the same thing
Decibel is a measure of volume so it tells us how loud a sound is. On the other hand, hertz is a measure of the frequency of sound waves in which 1hz is equal to 1 cycle per second.
What is the average hearing range of humans?
The average hearing range of humans is between 20Hz to 20,000 Hz. We hear better from 2,000 Hz to 5,000 Hz.
It is normal to become less sensitive to high frequency sound as we grow older.
Humans can't hear infrasonic and ultrasonic sounds.
Did you know that:
- Bats can hear ultrasonic sounds of 100,000 Hz.
- Elephants can hear infrasonic sounds of 14–16 Hz.
- Whales can even hear 7 Hz sound.
- Sound waves move faster in water than in air.
- The lower the frequency of a sound, the farther it can travel.
- Infrasound (below 20 Hz) can pass through building and mountain.
