The units of attenuation are ___ : this is a ___ scale

• A. mm/cm ; Parametric
• B. dB/m ; Multiplicative
• C. none ; Relative
• D. dB ; Logarithmic

Answer: (D)

Attenuation is described using decibels, a logarithmic unit that expresses the ratio of transmitted to received signal power or amplitude. Using dB lets us capture large changes in strength on a manageable scale, because the decibel scale turns multiplicative changes into additive ones. So the correct statement is that the units are dB and the scale is logarithmic. The other options don’t fit because mm/cm is a length unit, dB/m would be a rate of attenuation per distance rather than the basic unit, and parametric or relative scales are not how attenuation is characteristically described.