TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

A-weighted decibel [1 record]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2003-09-09

English

Subject field(s)
  • Telephone Metering
  • Acoustics (Physics)
  • Noise Pollution
CONT

Sound levels are measured in A-weighted decibels which adjust sound pressure to conform with the frequency response of the human ear.

OBS

decibels relative to 2x10 (-5th power) Pa and measured as per ANSI Standard S1.4 using the A weighting scale.

CONT

The unit of measurement of environmental noise is the decibel (dB). To better approximate the range of sensitivity of the human ear to sounds of different frequencies, the A-weighted decibel scale was devised. Because the human ear is less sensitive to low-frequency sounds, the A-scale de-emphasizes these frequencies by incorporating frequency weighting of the sound signal. When the A-scale is used, the decibel levels are shown as dBA. On this scale, the range of human hearing extends from about 3 dBA to about 140 dBA. A 10-dBA increase is perceived by most people as a doubling of the sound level. The smallest change that can be heard is about 2 to 3 dBA.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Téléphonométrie
  • Acoustique (Physique)
  • Pollution par le bruit
CONT

[...] les acousticiens ont établi trois courbes de pondération, dites courbes A, B, C, qui permettent, à partir de la mesure objective du bruit, d'évaluer la sensation subjective qui s'y rapporte. Ces courbes correspondent à des réseaux pondérateurs [...]. Dans la pratique, ces réseaux sont incorporés au sonomètre et peuvent être mis en circuit à l'aide d'un commutateur; on obtient ainsi les lectures dites en «gamme A, B ou C», ou encore en décibels A, B, ou C.

CONT

Le décibel pondéré en gamme A(dBA) est l'unité de mesure normale du son. Comme l'intensité du bruit augmente de façon exponentielle, une faible hausse du niveau dBA peut entraîner une augmentation considérable du bruit perçu.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Telefonometría
  • Acústica (Física)
  • Contaminación acústica
DEF

Unidad de medida del ruido basada en la Curva Standard de Ponderación A, que es la que más se aproxima en sus respuestas ante diferentes frecuencias a la forma de captar el sonido el oído humano.

CONT

El decibelio A (dBA) indica que en la medición acústica se ha tenido en cuenta la ponderación A según las frecuencias del sonido. El decibelio A ofrece una valoración del sonido teniendo en cuenta la sensibilidad propia del oído humano.

Save record 1

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Display options

Change the order of display of the official languages of Canada
Option to display the non-official languages (Spanish or Portuguese)
Display definitions, contexts, etc., on records

Features

Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: