Why is cumulative sound louder?

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This is definitely stupid, think I’m missing something.

If I say something at 60 decibels for example, the person I’m talking to will hear it at that volume (ignoring the sound lost over distance).

But if a crowd of people say something at 60 decibels, it will be louder to the person hearing it.

I just can’t get my head around why, since they’re all talking at the same volume as the single person. What amplifies it?

In: Physics

7 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

1 person pushes an object with 10lbs of force. It moves. 2 people push that object with 10 lbs of force each. The object moves even faster because it has a greater force applied to it.

100 people talking at 60db generate more total energy and a greater pressure wave than a single person talking talking at 60db.

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