A decibel is by definition 1/10th of a bel. The scale for intensity is logarithmic with respect to the bel, not the decibel. The description of sound pressures given in this article is actually pretty good except for the following mathematical error: "So it is important to note that a sound pressure level of 30-dB isn’t 10-times higher than 20-dB but 100-times." Actually, it is 10X. The 1000X reference in the following sentence is accurate.

I really liked the article, BTW.

KN

That old physics textbook you couldn't sell back to the bookstore comes in handy, doesn't it?