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Definition and examplesThe decibel (dB) is used to measure sound level, but it is also widely used in electronics, signals and communication. The dB is a logarithmic unit used to describe a ratio. The ratio may be power, sound pressure, voltage or intensity or several other things. Later on we relate dB to the phon and the sone (units related to loudness). But first, to get a taste for logarithmic units, let's look at some numbers