Exhibits · Science in Detail 3 · The Evidence in Depth
Exhibit 60: The Sound Ladder
The Sound Ladder. Loudness in decibels from the threshold of hearing at zero to the ceiling of sound in air at 194, a whisper on the second rung from the floor. Every limit a safety regime watches sits in the top third; the endocrine effect is marked down at the whisper.
A decibel ladder. Zero is the threshold of hearing. The endocrine effect sits at 20 decibels, a whisper, the second rung from the floor. Everything a safety limit regulates sits near the top: a gunshot at 140, a wounding firework at 175, the 194 decibel ceiling of sound in air, and a C-4 blast near 200. Rung heights are linear in decibels, so the whisper stands where its own number puts it.