Definition

Bel

In electronics and communications, the Bel expresses the logarithmic ratio between two levels of signal power, voltage, or current. The Bel was named for Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Because the Bel is a large number, for most practical purposes, the decibel (dB), one-tenth of a Bel, is more often used as the unit of measurement.

Related glossary terms: small form factor (SFF), gigapop (gigabit point-of-presence), small form-factor pluggable (SFP), DTMF (dual tone multi frequency), carrier network, dark fiber, Router, V.xx, terminal adapter (TA), port

This was last updated in September 2005

Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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Resources from around the Web
- Graham Knott's "Bels, Decibels, and dB," provides more information.
- David Gabel's tip, "Power Lunch," tells how to measure power loss on a cable.

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