Q: Two people are listening to the same music at the same distance. They disagree on its loudness. Explain how this could happen.

• Perception of loudness can vary from person to person. People have different sensitivities to sound due to differences in the anatomy of the ear, previous exposure to loud sounds, and other factors. Therefore, what sounds loud to one person might not sound as loud to another.

• The acoustics of the environment can affect how loud the music sounds. For example, if one person is standing in a room with more sound-absorbing materials, such as carpets and curtains, the music might sound softer to them than to someone standing in a room with hard surfaces like tiles and bare walls.

• The type of music being played can also affect the perception of loudness. For example, music with a lot of bass can sound louder than music without a lot of bass, even if the overall volume is the same.

• Lastly, the two people might not be measuring loudness in the same way. One person might be using a decibel meter, while the other is just using their subjective experience of how loud the music is.