Solve Hard of Hearing Question: Increase dB for Hearing Aid?

[emma123]

hi, I'm having trouble with a question and i was wondering if anyone can help me out. "To a person who is hard of hearing, normal conversation (60dB) sounds like a soft whisper. What increase in sound levels (in dB) must a hearing aid provide? How many times must the sound wave pressure be increased?" thanx

 

[physicsprasanna]

Please read the replies that you've got for your previous post.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=113220

And try this question out ... I think all the information necessary for solving this question has been provided there ...

 

[kyle8921]

I would approach this question by first understanding the concept of decibels (dB) and how they relate to sound levels. Decibels are a logarithmic unit used to measure the intensity or loudness of sound. An increase of 10 dB represents a tenfold increase in sound intensity.

Based on the information provided, a person who is hard of hearing perceives a normal conversation (60 dB) as a soft whisper. This means that their hearing is impaired and they require a higher sound level to be able to hear conversations at a comfortable level.

To determine the increase in sound levels (in dB) that a hearing aid must provide, we can use the following formula:

Increase in dB = Desired sound level - Current sound level

In this case, the desired sound level is 60 dB (normal conversation) and the current sound level is a soft whisper, which we can estimate to be around 20 dB. Therefore, the increase in sound level required is 60 dB - 20 dB = 40 dB.

To determine how many times the sound wave pressure must be increased, we can use the following formula:

Sound wave pressure increase = 10^(Increase in dB/10)

Substituting the increase in dB value of 40 into the formula, we get:

Sound wave pressure increase = 10^(40/10) = 10^4 = 10,000 times

This means that the sound wave pressure must be increased by 10,000 times for a person who is hard of hearing to perceive normal conversation at a comfortable level. This highlights the importance of hearing aids in amplifying sound for individuals with hearing impairments.

In conclusion, to increase the dB for a hearing aid, a 40 dB increase in sound level and a 10,000 times increase in sound wave pressure would be necessary for a person who is hard of hearing to perceive normal conversation at a comfortable level. I hope this explanation helps to clarify the concept and assist in solving the hard of hearing question.