Author Topic: physics question  (Read 2033 times)

Offline Sea Lover

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physics question
« on: December 15, 2011, 04:31:08 pm »
how does the speed of sound vary with temperature of air? does it increase as temperature increases or does it decrease ?and why?
thanx

Offline Most UniQue™

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Re: physics question
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2011, 12:34:29 pm »
how does the speed of sound vary with temperature of air? does it increase as temperature increases or does it decrease ?and why?
thanx

Speed of sound is directly proportional to the temperaure. Thus when the temperature increases , the speed of sound also increases. This is because at higher temperatures, molecules will have more energy and vibrate more. This increased vibration of the molecules causes the sound waves to be traveled at a faster rate.

For example:
The speed of sound at room temperature is 346 meters per second while at freezing temperatures is 331m/s.