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How much does sound intensity increase when a sound level rises by 10 decibels?

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When a sound level increases by 10 decibels (dB), the sound intensity increases by a factor of 10.

This relationship is defined by the logarithmic nature of the decibel scale. The formula for the relative intensity level $b$ in decibels is expressed as:

$b = 10 \log_{10} (\frac{I}{I_{0}})$

In this equation, $I$ represents the intensity of the sound and $I_{0}$ represents a reference intensity. Because the scale is logarithmic, every increase of 10 dB corresponds to multiplying the intensity by 10. For example, a 20-dB sound is 10 times more intense than a 10-dB sound, and 100 times more intense than the reference intensity.123