SOUND

Prepared by: Andrew Vincent Abucay

A sound is a vibration that propagates through a medium
in the form of a mechanical wave. The medium in which
it propagates can either be a solid, a liquid or a gas.
Sound travels fastest in solids, relatively slower in
liquids and slowest in gases.
In physics, the sound is defined as

• A vibration that propagates as an audible wave of

pressure, through a medium such as a gas, liquid or
solid.

In psychology, the sound is defined as

• The reception of sound pressure waves and their

perception by the brain.
Two types of mechanical wave
The speed of sound depends on the density of a material where
the sound is propagating. Density describes the amount of
matter per unit volume in a substance. Mathematically, it is
defined as:

where ρ is the density measured in kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3 ), m is the mass in
kilograms (kg), and V is the volume in cubic meters (m3 ).
Solids have greater densities than liquids, and liquids have
densities that are greater than gases. This relationship is
exemplified by the expression below.

or
Speed of Sound
Since sound is a wave, the formula for getting wave speed can be used.

• v is the speed of the wave in meters per second (m/s)

• λ is the wavelength of the wave in meters (m)
• f is the frequency in (1/ seconds) or Hertz (Hz)
Calculate the speed of a sound that has a wavelength of 20 m and
a frequency of 16 Hz.
Sound travels four times faster in water than in air. If a sound wave
travels underwater with a speed of 1450 m/s, calculate the
frequency given that it has a wavelength of 75 m.
A sound wave travels in metal steel at a speed of 5200 m/s, with
a frequency of 20 Hz. What is its wavelength?
The speed of sound in air is dependent on air temperature.
Sound travels faster in hot air compared to cold air. At high
temperatures, particles of air vibrate faster. Hence, it allows
sound waves to travel faster.
Sound travels at a speed of 331.0 m/s in dry air at 0 ºC. For
every increase of 1 ºC in air temperature, sound travels
faster by 0.6 m/s. At normal atmospheric pressure, the
speed of sound in air at a given temperature can be solved
as:
On the Celsius scale, the standard room temperature is 20 ºC.
Calculate the speed of sound at standard room temperature.
The average daily temperature in Mexico City in July is
286 K. Calculate the speed of sound at this
temperature.
The measured temperature in a large open air venue is 97 ºF.
Find the speed of sound.