Loudness

Definition: Loudness

Loudness

At its core, what we perceive as the volume or loudness of a sound corresponds to how drastic the changes in the pressure of the air are. Large variations are generally perceived as a loud sound, while small variations are perceived as quiet. Of course, the situation is not really that simple and there are many other factors such as humidity or temperature which can also influence how we perceive loudness, but, fundamentally, volume depends on how much the pressure changes.