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The phon is a unit of perceived loudness, which is a subjective measure of the strength (not intensity) of a sound. At a frequency of 1 kHz, 1 phon is defined to be equal to 1 dB of sound pressure level above the nominal threshold of hearing, the sound pressure level SPL of 20 µPa (micropascal) = 2 · 10-5 Pascal (Pa). Our ears as sensors cannot convert sound intensities and powers, they can only use the sound pressure.

At other frequencies, the phon departs from the decibel, but is related to it by a frequency weighting curve ( equal-loudness contour) that reflects the frequency response of human hearing . The standard curve for human hearing is the A-weighted curve (the equal-loudness contour for a 40 dB stimulus at 1kHz), but others are in use.

The "unit" phon has been largely replaced by the dB(A) (A-weighted decibel), though many old textbooks and instructors continue to use the phon.

See also


Phon is also the name of a town in ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is a country in southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. Thailand is also known as Siam which was the country's official n.

hearingHearing is the following: Hearing is the sense by which sound is perceived. a hearing person is one that has hearing within normal parameters as opposed to one who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decis Units of measureThis topic differs from units of measurement, which see. Units of measure are the fundamental components of a problem. They are used in many fields to ensure accurate accounting of systems, ideas, and resources. They are exemplified in problems such as: I

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