The Threshold of hearing is the intensity level of a sound which is perceived by the listener fifty percent of the time.
At one end of the range is threshold, which may be defined as the intensity level of a sound which is perceived by the listener fifty percent of the time.
At the other end of the range is the intensity level where severe pain is experienced and damage to the ear is likely to occur.
If I arbitrarily set the threshold of hearing to a value of 1, the loudest sound the ear can handle without generating serious pain isá 10, 100, 1000, 10,000ámore ?
(Take a guess. The answer is on the next slide).
We are considerably interested in that range because it may differ between individuals, particularly in regards to the threshold value.
For some individuals, threshold may be raised considerably to the point where it is above the level of many environmental sounds.
NOTES: See the Environmental Loudness Chart