What's the Loudest Possible Sound?

How many decibels would be recorded by the loudest sound waves your ears could possibly process? The loudest sound might be quieter than you think (because of how sound waves work)...or it might be louder than you think (because of how decibels work).

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[DKN]

IIRC, Krakatoa didn't just erupt, it LITERALLY exploded - like, the entire volcano blew itself to bits. That's why it was so loud.

[Subservientd]

I went down this rabbit hole when I saw an air horn advertised at 500 decibels on Amazon. Enough sound to destroy space and time 😂

[Beutimus]

The dead silence of your parents disapproval is somehow deafening though

[tobyk-b]

0:55 bro said "how loud can something get" in an almost perfect impersonation of smitty from jackbox games narration

[evilsharkey]

The barometer that detected the equivalent of 173 decibels from Krakatau (Krakatoa is a typo that stuck) actually maxed out. The actual pressure was higher.

[WeeWeeJumbo]

the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation was so loud that it shaped the physical structure of the observable universe

[HT-Blindleader]

The volume of your toddler when they discover they can say some profanity whilst in the checkout line at Kroger. Loudest sound possible.

[Nouvellecosse]

The name Krakatoa sounds so painful. I always imagine stubbing my toe so hard that it cracks a nail.

[headlessspaceman]

Yeah I was thinking Tunguska. Those shockwaves were picked up around the world. The 2013 Chelyabinsk shockwave also shattered windows, damaged over 7000 buildings and caused more than 1500 injuries from 18 miles up in the atmosphere. Meteorite (or comet) impacts (even air blasts) generate far more explosive energy than a volcano ever could. That kind of thing could happen again at any time.

[spiralnapkin]

Most people think a fire engine siren sound travels miles, but as a fire engine and ambulance operator, I can attest that the siren is nearly silent to 99% of anyone in my lane.

[rickyvalent]

The intro of playstation 2 at 1 A.M is at whole another level

[crinklethebear]

I was in a very quiet place and had been so for a while. Silent the whole time ... I read the title, clicked it, realized my phone was on full volume and jumped thinking ...

"THIS!! THIS IS THE LOUDEST NOISE!!!!"

[AaronGeo]

Closing a door at 3 AM, that is
*Now all of China knows you're here*

[BoyProdigyX]

YouTube's compression does NOT like that visual of particles vibrating

[riskyrisk]

A Disaster Area concert featuring Hotblack Desiato. Best enjoyed from inside large concrete bunkers some thirty-seven miles from the stage. Accompanied by a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

[realulli]

12:10 390 db: "When the person standing next to it turns from biology into physics" ;-)

[PrincessNobella]

Is the fact that today is the anniversary of Chuck Yeager in a Bell X-1 broke the sound barrier for the first time a coincident? sounds like good timing

[Andres-nuxh]

the second loudest possible sound is flushing the toilet at 4 am

[Trust_me_I_am_an_Engineer]

Very interesting. I never knew until now about the 194 dB limit. Imagine what the shockwave was like when Theia hit the Earth and the moon was formed : I feel that that must have been the loudest bang ever to occur on earth. The noise would be the last of your worries though, given that the earth was still molten and the 'atmosphere' was mainly hydrogen 😅. Looking forward to your next video!

[hendrikj]

at 2:13 take off your glasses or squint to see the waves