What Is Noise

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What Is Noise
What Is Noise

Video: What Is Noise

Video: What Is Noise
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What is noise

Noise is caused by pressure fluctuations in the air. We perceive them through our ears - from a physical point of view - as sound. Noise is undesirable and annoying sound for humans. Noises are made up of many vibrations with different sound pressure levels and different frequencies. We perceive them as loud or quiet or as high or low.

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  • Advice, downloads & tools
  • This is how noise is measured
  • Disturbing sound levels
  • Main source of noise

What is perceived as annoying noise depends on various factors:

  • the noise itself, especially its volume and pitch,
  • the noise level of the environment and
  • the subjective feeling of a person.

This is how noise is measured

The volume of a noise is measured as the sound pressure level (sound level) in decibels (dB). The higher the sound pressure level, the louder the noise. The frequency is the number of sound oscillations per second and is measured in Hertz (Hz). The higher the frequency, the higher we perceive a tone. Humans can perceive frequencies between 16 and around 20,000 Hertz.

The continuous sound level (energy-equivalent continuous sound level LA, eq) describes noises, the intensity of which fluctuates over time. A noise index is used to describe the noise exposure in an area for a certain period of time (day, night, evening).

Disturbing sound levels

Many people feel disturbed during work that requires prolonged attention from sound levels of 50 dB. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends as preventive health protection that a continuous sound level of 35 dB during the day, 30 dB at night and a peak level of 45 dB should not be exceeded in living rooms and bedrooms.

Main source of noise

Noise usually arises as a result of today's way of life and represents a stressful environmental problem for many people. Clearly at the top of the sources of noise is traffic noise, which is mainly caused by motor vehicles. But neighboring apartments, construction sites or leisure facilities such as discos can also cause noise. Noise also plays a significant role in the world of work, and in some companies a constant level of noise is part of everyday work.

Examples of noise (sound level in dB):

  • Clock ticking 20 dB (barely audible)
  • Whisper 30 dB (very quiet)
  • Refrigerator 40 dB (quiet)
  • normal conversation 50 dB (rather quiet)
  • Office 60 dB (moderately loud)
  • loud conversation 70 dB (loud)
  • heavy traffic 80 dB (very loud)
  • noisy factory hall, heavy truck 90 dB (very loud)
  • Jackhammer, discotheque 100 dB (very loud to unbearable)
  • Boilermaker 110 dB (unbearable)
  • Airliner at a distance of 50 m 120 dB (unbearable)
  • 130 dB (pain threshold)

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