<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> DECIBEL (decibel value of two quantities)

Syntax:

DECIBEL(P2 [, P1])

Description:

This returns the decibel value (dB) for the ratio of two quantities.

The calculation is based on the following formula:

DECIBEL(P2, P1) = 10 * LOG10(P2/P1)

Note the order of the two parameters: The dividend P2 of the quotient has to be specified first and then the divisor P1 – not vice versa.

P2 and P1 have to be numbers. Their quotient has to be greater than zero.

The parameter P1 is optional. If it is omitted, PlanMaker sets it to 1 (one) automatically.

Compatibility notes:

This function does not exist in Microsoft Excel. If you save a document in Excel format, all calculations using this function will be replaced with their current result as a fixed value.

Example:

DECIBEL(1000, 10) returns 20