Velocity of Sound

Topic Content:

The velocity of sound in air depends on the temperature and medium of travel e.g.

At 0ºC:

• Velocity of sound in air – 330 ms^-1
• Velocity of sound in liquid – 1435 ms^-1
• Velocity of sound in solid – 5000 ms^-1

Factors Affecting Velocity of Sound in Air:

1. Temperature: Velocity of sound in air increases with a rise in temperature. An increase in air temperature causes the speed of the sound wave to increase and the wavelength of the sound wave to increase, given that the frequency remains constant.

Speed is directly proportional to the square root of the absolute temperature:

⇒ \( \scriptsize V \propto \sqrt{T}\)

2. Wind: The direction of wind also affects the speed of sound in air, the speed is high if it moves in the direction of the wind.

3. DensityDensity is the measurement of how tightly a material is packed together i.e. how closely the particles are packed in the material. The tighter the material is packed the more its... More: If the density is reduced, the speed of sound in air increases, and vice versa.

As already stated in Lesson 1: Waves