What is Bel? - Definition from Whatis.com

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.

This was last updated in September 2002

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