eli5: How is perceived volume related to distance from a source?

Question

Is it logarithmic, linear, something else entirely???

In: 1

Answer 1

Since sound moves in 3 dimensions, the raw power of the sound will be related by an inverse square to the distance of the source. Since humans perceive sound in a logarithmic scale to its raw power, it is logarithmic as well.

So first, inverse square from the distance to the source. And then, logarithmic to the resulting power of the sound.