Decibel drag race.The race is on to build the world's loudest car stereo. And so far, top competitors in "extreme decibel decibel (dĕs`əbĕl', –bəl), abbr. dB, unit used to measure the loudness of sound. It is one tenth of a bel (named for A. G. Bell), but the larger unit is rarely used. (dB drag racing dB drag racing is a competition rewarding the person who can produce the loudest sound inside a vehicle. The "dB" means decibels of sound pressure level (SPL). In, these competitions, SPL of 155 dB can be reached, and it is not unheard of to see 160+ dB as well. " claim to have blasted sound levels (loudness measured in decibels) up to 177.6 dB. That's l0 million times louder than Metallica concert! Here's how it works: Vibrating vibrating, v using quivering hand motions made across the client's body for therapeutic purposes. objects create invisible ripples, or sound waves, in the air. The bigger the wave amplitude amplitude (ăm`plĭt  d'), in physics, maximum displacement from a zero value or rest position. (size), the louder the sound will be (see right). Competing dragsters play a CD that feeds only one pure low-frequency flow pitch) sound into the system. Extreme dB race cars are tricked out with up to 12 amplifiers and a wall of speakers to crank this sound's wave amplitude. The task demands so much energy the equipment drains 50 to 60 car batteries instantly! "Some of these vehicles have more power than your local radio station," says Wayne Harris
Carroll Wayne Harris of the dB Drag Racing Association. But high-energy sound waves are dangerous to human ears. So no one is in the car when the noise blasts. Instead, judges measure sound levels using sophisticated computers. As for the fad: Hear today, gone tomorrow? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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