[SML] Decibels

[Jeffrey Kanyuck]

Wow Joe, Thanks for that. That really gave me a laugh thinking about those.


From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Joe Wilson via Stagecraft
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2016 3:55 PM
To: Stagecraft Mailing List
Cc: Joe Wilson
Subject: Re: [SML] Decibels

S'funny, this came up on Reddit today, referring to someone exaggerating about an internet ad playing at 500dB.

>The loudest sustainable soundwave in Earth's atmosphere at sea level is about 194 dB, which would be a longitudinal wave with a compression of 2 atmospheres, and a rarefraction of pure vacuum. A website playing music through your computer speakers at 194 dB would be more intense than the Saturn V main engines firing at your face, and it would be clearly heard from a couple thousand miles away. Atmospheric sounds that are louder than 194 dB are heavily distorted, and are effectively shockwaves. The most powerful known atmospheric shockwave in human history is the Tunguska event of 1908, which was caused by a meteoroid or comet fragment slamming into the atmosphere and exploding a few miles above Earth's surface. The 300 dB shockwave hit the ground with the force of 5 million tons of TNT, and leveled 770 sq miles of forest. A 320 dB shockwave has the destructive force of a 14 Gigaton nuclear bomb, which would clear a crater about 12.4 miles in diameter and 1.33 miles deep. Listening to a 365 dB shockwave would exert a similar pressure on your head as laying back in your favorite chair, and resting the moon on your face. A 500 dB shockwave has only been theorized in black holes and neutron starquakes, and would vaporize your head, your house, your city, annihilate your country, ignite the atmosphere, flash boil the oceans, and probably shatter the continent that you are sitting on. That would be a very annoying popup ad.


--
_________________________
Joe Wilson, ATD/Sound
Indian River State College

Adding one more "me too" to the
collective internet consciousness.
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