Question

The signal intensity of  Pure-tone audiometers ranging from ______

(a) 10 dB to +100 dB

(b) –10 dB to -100 dB

(c) –10 dB to +100 dB

(d) –10 dB to +10 dB

The question was asked during an interview for a job.

My query is from Measurement of Hearing topic in division Audiometry of Biomedical Instrumentation

Answer 1

Right answer is (c) –10 dB to +100 dB

Explanation: Pure-tone audiometers usually generate test tones in octave steps from 125 to 8000 Hz, the signal intensity ranging from –10 dB to +100 dB. A wave in the air, which involves only one frequency of vibration, is known as pure-tone. Pure-tone audiometry is used in routine tests and, therefore, it is the most widely used technique for determining hearing loss. Pure-tone audiometry has several advantages, which makes it specifically suitable for making threshold sensitivity measurements.