The number of decibels of attenuation that occurs when sound travels one centimeter.

• A. Decibel per centimeter
• B. Absorption coefficient
• C. Attenuation coefficient
• D. Scattering coefficient

Answer: (C)

Attenuation describes how sound weakens as it travels through a medium, and the rate at which that weakening happens per unit distance is the attenuation coefficient. Since the question asks for the amount of loss in decibels over a specific distance (one centimeter), this rate is exactly what the attenuation coefficient captures, often expressed as dB per unit length. The other terms refer to parts of the process or the units involved: the absorption coefficient covers energy removed by absorption, the scattering coefficient covers energy redirected away by scattering, and decibel per centimeter is a unit—not the quantity itself. So the attenuation coefficient is the right descriptor for per-distance attenuation measured in decibels.