[mbenonis]

Math for sound does get pretty complicated. I'm in calc and there are some things even I look at, smile, nod, and skip over.

However, here's some stuff you can play around with:

In sound equipment (not from a speaker), the volume level of sound is measured in decibels (dB), and the ideal level for a signal is 0 dB. Anything lower than that is a negative number, and anything higher is a positive number. Also, for every three dB increase or decrease, the volume is roughly double or half the original volume. So, a signal at -20 dB is pretty soft, while a signal at +6 dB is relatively loud.

Now, this may seem a bit odd, considering you may have heard that 40 dB is soft, and 80+ dB is loud. The reason is that sound in the air (from a speaker) is measured on a different scale, dB SPL, where 40 dB SPL relatively soft and 80+ dB SPL loud.

Des that make any sense to you? If not, I'd be happy to clarify.