SPEED OF

SOUND

Presentation by: Group-4

-When you witness a fireworks display, you may or may not notice
that the colorful eruption of lights comes a few seconds before the
sound of explosion can be heard When these two types of waves come
together, light is perceived by observers first because it travels faster
than sound. It is said that the medium affects the speed at which a
sound wave travels.
Sound is a disturbance that carries energy and transfers it among the particles of a
medium. It is produced when the vibration causes pressure variations in the
material through which it travels; and since the molecular composition of each
material varies, the speed of the sound wave also varies. The speed of sound
refers to the rate at which the disturbance travels from one particle to another
particle of the medium. If frequency of sound pertains to the number of waves that
travel through a point per unit of time, the speed of sound refers to the distance
that the waves travel per unit of time.
 In equation, the speed of sound can be expressed simply as,
speed = distance
time
-The equation indicates that the more distance the sound travels in the same amount of time, the
faster it passes through the medium. Note that the SI unit used to measure the speed of sound is
also meter per second (m/s).
Example:
-A sound wave from an aircraft is observed to have travelled a distance of 5 000 m in 14 s.
Determine the speed of sound.
Given;
distance = 5 000 m
time = 14 s
soluction:
Speed= distance = 5000m =357.1 m
time 14s s
The speed of the sound wave in this situation is 357.1 m/s.

Like any wave, speed of sound wave can also be expressed in

terms of its wavelength and frequency. In equation, this can be
expressed as follows:

V = Af

where v = speed of sound, lambda or λ = wavelength, and f =

frequency.
Example:

A bee that accidentally entered your house one afternoon produced a buzzing sound as it passed near your ear. The
sound resulted from the flapping of its wings, which beat at a rate of 230 wing beats per second. Based on the situation,
determine the following:

a. What is the frequency in hertz of the sound wave?

b. If the speed of the sound wave is 350 wave? what is the wavelength of the
Given:
f=230 beats
V = 130 m
Solution;
a. Frequency=230/s or 230/s Hz
b. Derive the formula for wavelength from the given equation.
v=^f ^=v/f
130 m/s
=---------
230
------
s
=0.565m in his example, the wavelength of the bee's buzzing sound is 0.565 m.
 The Effect of the Molecular Structures of Materials on Sound

As mentioned, sound waves require a medium in order to travel. The medium through which sound
waves travel can either be solid, liquid, or gas. When people talk to each other, the sound waves they
produce travel through the air. On the other hand, when marine animals like dolphins communicate,
they produce sound waves that travel through water. Sound is said to travel fastest through solid
objects because their molecules are closely packed; thus, the energy of the disturbance can transfer
from one molecule to another in a shorter amount of time.

One property of sound waves is being able to transfer from one medium to another, which allows
people to hear the sound coming even from a slightly distant part of a room or around the vicinity. But
how does the speed of sound vary through different media? What are the factors that affect the speed of
sound as it travels?
 Density

When a sound wave travels, it causes the molecules of the material to vibrate back and forth, passing sound from one molecule to the
next. The closer the molecules are to each other, the less time it will take the sound to travel. As mentioned, sound travels fastest
through solids and slowest through gases. However, this varies depending on the densities of materials. Density refers to the ratio
between the mass and the volume of a substance. its standard unit is kilogram per cubic meter (kg). Observe Fig. 3.2.

Suppose each box has the same volume, and the balls of molecules they contain have the same masses Which of the two boxes is denser?
Since density is the ratio of mass and volume of a substance, the box that contains more molecules is denser.

Denser objects and materials are usually composed of bigger molecules, which require more energy than smaller molecules in order to
vibrate. Sound travels faster when molecules vibrate more quickly. Hence, even though sound waves often move faster through solids,
they still travel at a slower rate in denser materials than in less dense ones. However, this can only happen provided that the materials
have the same or almost similar elastic properties

Suppose a sound wave travelled through gold and aluminum. Gold has an elasticity of 79 GPa (gigapascals) and a density of 19, while
aluminum has an cm elasticity of 69 GPa and a density of 2.7 Through which medium will sou
nds.r.escmwill sound
 wave travel faster? The two materials have a close measure of elasticity, will travel faster through aluminum because it is less dense than gold

Elasticity

Aside from density, another factor that affects the speed of sound is the elasticity of the medium. Elasticity refers to the ability of an object to return to its original shape after being distorted by
applied stress or force. Suppose equal amounts of force are applied to a rubber band and a cast-iron skillet. Between these two things, the skillet will obviously experience very little deformation,
but the rubber band will deform or stretch readily. Because the iron skillet is rigid, it can prevent a major deformity in its shape and can return to its original form faster. The rubber band,
however, is flexible and deforms easily. By definition of elasticity, the iron skillet is more elastic than the rubber band.
This property can be explained further by comparing the two objects at a particle level Both rubber and iron are made of solid particles but the atoms of rubber are less dense. On the other hand,
rigid materials such as iron and steel are composed of very strongly banded atoms. The strong forces of attraction that bind these atoms act like springs, controlling the speed at which particles
can return to their original positions. The particles which return to their original positions faster can readily move again and vibrate at a faster rate. This is why the iron skillet is more elastic.
Since its particles vibrate faster, sound will travel faster in the skillet than in rubber.

Moreover, the elasticity of a medium depends on the state of matter. Even though the density of a medium affects the speed of sound, elasticity still has the greater influence on speed, Hence,
sound travels faster in a medium like iron, despite its density. In general, solids are more elastic than liquids and gases; thus, sound waves travel faster through solids

In symbols, the speed of sound can be expressed as follows.

v_solids > v_liquids > v_gases

As summary, the speed of sound is dependent on the density and elasticity of the medium through which it is travelling though. The speed of sound is obtained using the following equation

where C, is a coefficient related to the elastic property and p is the density of the medium
 Example

If the speed of sound in copper is 4 600 and its density is 8.9 x 10 wha is the elasticity constant of copper?

Given

V4 600

p-89 x 10

Solution

C = (4 600) x (8.9 x 10")

= 1.8 x 10"

Temperature

The third factor that influences the speed of sound is temperature. As previously discussed, denser substances have more mass per unit volume. The more mass contains, the closer the molecules
are to each other and the stronger are the bonds among them. Sound is easily transmitted through a medium with stronger molecular bonds Hence, as an example, it sound is to travel through two
separate volumes of gases with two different densities, it is expected to travel faster through the gas with higher density
 However, this is not the case observed between air at different temperatures. In general, cool air is denser than warm air; thus, sound should travel faster through denser air. But in Table 3.1,
which shows the speed of sound through different materials, the rate at which sound travels in the air at 40° C is higher than the rate its going at 20 C. This is because the speed of sound through
air is mainly affected by the air's temperature. Observe the details in the following table.

Table 3.1 Speed of sound through different materials

By definition, temperature is the measure of the average kinetic energy of molecules in a medium. Heat, in particular, increases the kinetic energy of molecules in a medium the higher the kinetic energy of molecules, the faster they vibrate Consequently, the faster the vibration, the faster the sound passes through
the medium Hence, sound travelled faster in air at 40° C than at 20 C

The speed of sound at a given temperature of air can be obtained using the following formula

v=331/+0.6((T)

where v the speed of sound and T= the temperature of the air in degree Celsius

Example

Using the given equation, try to determine the speed of sound when air is at room temperature and when the temperature is freezing.

Given

Air at room temperature = 25° C

Air at freezing temperature = 0° C

Solution

v(room temp) = 331+0.67 (25° C)=3464

(s°C)

v (freezing temp) = 331+0.6) (0° C)-331

Based on the given example, sound travels faster in warm air than in cool air
Animals like bats and dolphins use sound as a form of sight, enabling them to locate preys and navigate through depths or darkness. This is called echolocation. Bats and dolphins produce
sound waves that bounce off as returning echo to the animals when they hit an object. With this, they can determine the size, shape, and location of an object even with zero visibility of
their surroundings.