What is the decibel scale used to measure?

The decibel scale is used to measure the amplitude of sound waves. Amplitude refers to the strength or intensity of a sound wave, which correlates to the perceived loudness of the sound. On the decibel scale, a higher value indicates a greater amplitude and thus a louder sound. This logarithmic scale quantifies sound pressure levels and is vital in various fields, including music, audio engineering, and acoustics, to ensure appropriate sound levels are maintained.

While frequency, duration, and pitch relate to the characteristics and qualities of sound, they are not measured on the decibel scale. Frequency is related to the pitch or tone of the sound, duration pertains to the length of time a sound is heard, and pitch indicates how high or low a sound is perceived, but none of these aspects are represented by the decibel measurement, which is exclusively focused on loudness derived from amplitude.