Jane and Sam alternately pound a railroad spike into a tie with their hammers. The crew chief has a migraine, and notes that Jane's hammer blows cause a sound with intensity 5.0 times greater than the sound that Sam makes when he swings his hammer. What is the difference in sound level between the two sounds? in decibels?
X = Sam's intensity.
X + 5X = 6X = Jane's intensity.
Diff. = 6X - X = 5X. = 5 times Sam's intensity.
I = 10log(6X/X),
I = 10log6 = 7.78db.