An illustrated tutorial for logarithmic scales and decibels in acoustics

Abstract

Acoustics is generally defined as the science that deals with the production, transmission, and reception of sound and the understanding and control of its effects. In fact, the fields of acoustics cover an especially broad range of subjects and domains, and comprehensive acoustics textbooks are usually quite thick as a consequence. While they are valuable resources for researchers, these books might appear a little daunting for a young audience or for people who are new to acoustics. This paper is an example of how educational comics can be designed and used to introduce one of the most commonly discussed topics when the basics of acoustics are taught: decibel level. Seven drawn pages constitute a visual support to explain the origin and history of the decibel, together with examples from acoustics and other domains on the use of logarithmic scales and classical decibel calculations. Several comments and comprehensive bibliographical references are also provided for each drawn page to enlarge the range of subjects or exercises that can be discussed in courses and foster further readings.