• Question: how fast is the speed of sound

    Asked by tock2000 to James, Marcus, Martin, Rob, Suzanne on 19 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Suzanne McEndoo

      Suzanne McEndoo answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      It’s about 340 metres per second in air at room temperature, but in different materials and conditions it can change. In liquids and solids it travels faster, like in water it’s 1,484 m/s.

    • Photo: James Boone

      James Boone answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      The speed of sound (in air, as Suzanne said) is about 768 miles per hour. Thrust SSC is the fastest land vehicle and managed a speed of 763mph. It did break the sound barrier though, so the speed of sound in the Nevada desert where the run took place must be slightly lower due to the air being less dense with the high temperature. Anyone else got a word on that?

    • Photo: Marcus Gallagher-Jones

      Marcus Gallagher-Jones answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      Yes the speed of sound is dependent on the density of particles in a given space. Sound travels through the passing of vibrational energy to neighbouring molecules. If they are closer together it can travel faster. However each time it interacts it loses some energy I think which is why sound cannot propagate as far through a solid or a liquid as in air. This is a process known as attenuation and why you can’t hear so well underwater.

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