What is loudness?

Loudness is how big or strong a sound feels to your ears.

Imagine you're playing with blocks, when you gently tap one block together, it makes a soft tap. But if you smash two big blocks together really hard, it makes a loud BOOM! The loudness depends on how hard you hit the blocks. If you hit them very softly, the sound is quiet; if you hit them very hard, the sound is loud.

Think of your voice like a balloon, when you whisper, it's like blowing up a small balloon. When you shout, it's like blowing up a huge balloon all the way to the top! The bigger the balloon (or the louder your voice), the more loud the sound feels.

Also, if you're close to the sound, like right next to the block or someone shouting in your ear, it feels even louder. But if you're far away, like across the room, the same sound feels softer, just like a balloon that’s been let out a little bit!