Why is the microphone pressure reference 2*10^-5 Pascals?
This seemingly simple question is actually quite fundamental. To answer the question we need to consider sound intensity. Now sound intensity is defined as “the average rate of flow of…
This seemingly simple question is actually quite fundamental. To answer the question we need to consider sound intensity. Now sound intensity is defined as “the average rate of flow of…
Prosig Deutschland are exhibiting at SENSOR+TEST 2011. Prosig can be found on the iSEMcon GmbH stand (Hall 12 Stand 12-463) where we are mainly demonstrating our Sound Mapping software using…
Sometimes we are asked about the differences between an acoustic camera and a sound intensity probe and which of the two is better for a particular application. There is no straightforward answer as they are quite different pieces of equipment, used for measuring different things. An acoustic camera is a tool used to locate and analyse sound sources, usually both steadystate and dynamic phenomena. The intensity probe is used to find the sound intensity at a particular position, usually a steadystate phenomena.
Most engineers are probably familiar with or have come across the decibel or dB as a unit of measurement. Its most common use is in the field of acoustics where it is used to quantify sound levels. However, as will be explained in this article, it is also useful for a wide variety of measurements in other fields such as electronics and communications.
One particular use of dB is to quantify the dynamic range and accuracy of an analogue to digital conversion system. This applies to Prosig’s P8000 range of data acquisition hardware where the noise floor, dynamic range and resolution are all specified in terms of dB.