Taber's Medical Dictionary
noise
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[Fr. noise, strife, brawl]
1. Sound of any sort, including that which is loud, harsh, confused, or senseless. SEE TABLE: Typical Noise Levels in Decibels and Their Effect; SEE: acoustic trauma; SEE: pollution, noise
2. In electronics or physics, any electronic disturbance that interferes with the signal being recorded or monitored. In electrocardiography, the 60-cycle alternating current used to power the machine may be inadvertently recorded. This obscures the signal from the electrical activity of the heart.
3. Unwanted information on a radiograph caused by fogging or scattered radiation.
Typical Noise Levels in Decibels and Their Effect
| Situation | Level (decibels) | Effect |
| Jet engine (close by)* | 140 | Harmful to hearing |
| Jet takeoff* | 130 | |
| Propeller aircraft* | 120 | |
| Live rock band | 110 | Risk of hearing loss |
| Jackhammer | 100 | |
| Heavy-duty truck | 90 | |
| Private car; business office | 70 | Probably no risk of permanent damage to hearing |
| Wooded residential area | 50 | No harm |
| Whisper | 30 | |
| Rustle of leaf | 10 |
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[Fr. noise, strife, brawl]
1. Sound of any sort, including that which is loud, harsh, confused, or senseless. SEE TABLE: Typical Noise Levels in Decibels and Their Effect; SEE: acoustic trauma; SEE: pollution, noise
2. In electronics or physics, any electronic disturbance that interferes with the signal being recorded or monitored. In electrocardiography, the 60-cycle alternating current used to power the machine may be inadvertently recorded. This obscures the signal from the electrical activity of the heart.
3. Unwanted information on a radiograph caused by fogging or scattered radiation.
Typical Noise Levels in Decibels and Their Effect
| Situation | Level (decibels) | Effect |
| Jet engine (close by)* | 140 | Harmful to hearing |
| Jet takeoff* | 130 | |
| Propeller aircraft* | 120 | |
| Live rock band | 110 | Risk of hearing loss |
| Jackhammer | 100 | |
| Heavy-duty truck | 90 | |
| Private car; business office | 70 | Probably no risk of permanent damage to hearing |
| Wooded residential area | 50 | No harm |
| Whisper | 30 | |
| Rustle of leaf | 10 |
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