In article ,
CRB wrote:
Well, regardless of where you start the scale, the bel must be a
'quantity' based on something as any unit is.

Not quite. A bel is a ratio, not a unit.

Why give it a name then if it is purely abstract?

FWIW, my dictionary says it's a unit for measuring sound.

--
*Can atheists get insurance for acts of God? *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn