Distance does indeed affect the perceived loudness of a sound. As sound waves propagate through space, they spread out and become more dispersed, resulting in a decrease in sound intensity or amplitude. This phenomenon is known as "inverse square law."
According to the inverse square law, the perceived loudness of a sound decreases proportionally to the square of the distance from the source. In simpler terms, if you double the distance from a sound source, the sound intensity decreases to one-fourth (1/2^2) of its original level.
However, it is important to note that perceived loudness can be subjective and influenced by other factors as well. For instance, the environment in which the sound is produced and the listener's sensitivity to different frequencies can also affect how loud a sound appears.
When you are in a relatively quiet environment, where there is minimal background noise or reverberation, you may notice the decrease in loudness more prominently with increased distance from the sound source. In contrast, in a noisy or reverberant environment, the effect of distance on loudness perception may be less noticeable due to other competing sounds or reflections.
In summary, while distance does affect the perceived loudness of a sound according to the inverse square law, other factors in the environment can also influence how we perceive sound loudness.