Phon

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/phon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the unit of measurement?Phon (logarithmic unit of perceived loudness level)
2. What is the introduced by?Stanley Smith Stevens
3. What is a phon and how is it different from a decibel?A phon measures how loud a sound feels to our ears, not just how strong the sound waves are. Decibels measure the physical strength of sound waves, while phons measure our perception of loudness. The phon scale helps us compare sounds that have the same physical level but feel different.
4. Why do we use the phon scale instead of just decibels?Because our ears hear different frequencies in different ways. Two sounds with the same decibel level can feel louder or softer. The phon scale lets us see how loud they really feel.

Psychoacoustics: The study of how humans perceive sound and its psychological effects.
Sound Pressure Level (SPL): An objective measure of the intensity of sound waves, typically in decibels (dB).
Frequency (Hz): The number of sound wave cycles per second, determining pitch; 1 kHz = 1000 Hz.