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Question

On what factor does the speed of sound in a medium depend?


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Solution

Step 1: Sound

  1. Sound is a vibration that travels through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid, or solid as an acoustic wave.
  2. When a sound travels through an elastic material, its speed is defined as the distance it travels per unit of time.
  3. The speed of sound in the air is approximately 343m/s.

Step 2: The major three factors that influence sound speed are:

  1. The density of medium: The density of a medium determines the speed of sound; the larger the density of a medium, the slower the speed of sound. Because air is highly compressible, the speed of sound in air is low.
  2. The elasticity of the medium: In fluids, the speed of sound is determined by the bulk modulus β, which is expressed as vβ. In the solid, the speed of sound depends on Young’s modulus of elasticity Y. And the gaseous medium speed of sound depends upon γ which is an adiabatic index and its related as vγ .
  3. Temperature and pressure of medium: Sound waves travel quicker at higher temperatures because molecular vibrations occur more frequently at higher temperatures. The speed of sound does not depend on the pressure of a medium at a constant temperature.

Hence, the speed of sound in a median depends upon the density of the medium, elasticity of the medium, temperature, and pressure of the medium.


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