Volume (also called loudness) relates to the maximum pressure produced as particles are squeezed together as they are made to vibrate. We describe the sounds that we hear using several different terms and measure them in different ways. It is these changes in pressure that can be detected by organs such as the human ear and are sensed as sound. Pressure increases when particles are squeezed together and reduces when they move apart. These changes in particle spacing are also changes in pressure. Similar to water ripples, pressure waves move outwards from the sound source. The effect is very much like dropping a stone into a pool of water and causing a ripple pattern (sound waves) extending outwards from the original source (your clapping hands). The particles close to your hands are pushed outwards and bump into neighboring particles, and these then move and bump into more particles. This effect ripples out and away from your hands as a small group of sound waves. When you clap your hands, you force air particles together and then apart. The particles vibrate back and forth in the direction that the wave travels but do not get carried along with the wave. Sound is a pressure wave caused when something vibrates, making particles bump into each other and then apart.

Logarithms are used to compute sound intensity and decibel level The Decibel Scale and Using Logarithms to measure Sound Intensity

Is decibel scale logarithmic