Question
Can you tell that your roommate turned up the sound on the TV if its average sound intensity level goes from 70 to 73 dB?
Final Answer
Yes, it's possible to tell the volume was turned up since the sound level difference of 3 dB is easily perceptible.
Solution video
OpenStax College Physics for AP® Courses, Chapter 17, Problem 60 (Problems & Exercises)
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Video Transcript
This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. The difference in these two sound levels is 73 decibels minus 70 decibels which is 3 decibels and the textbook tells us that a sound level difference of 3 decibels is easily noticed. 1 is barely noticeable and 3 decibel is easily noticeable.