What is a Sound Wave?
Sound Wave is defined as a mechanical wave that travels from source to destination via the vibration of the particles of the medium between the source and the listener. The nature of sound waves is longitudinal. In a longitudinal wave, the particle vibrates in the direction of propagation of waves. A sound wave comprises compression and rarefaction in an alternate manner. In the region of compression, the particles are densely packed, and in the region of rarefaction, the particles are larger distances.
The distribution in a medium may be used to investigate some of the medium’s properties. The speed of sound is defined as the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave propagating across an elastic medium. The speed of sound in a given medium is determined by its density and elasticity. According to mechanics, the greater the speed of sound, the greater the elasticity, and the lower the mass. Therefore, the speed of sound is maximum in solids and minimum in solids.
Read more about Waves.
Speed of Sound
Speed of Sound as the name suggests is the speed of the sound in any medium. We know that sound is a form of energy that is caused due to the vibration of the particles and sound travels in the form of waves. A wave is a vibratory disturbance that transfers energy from one point to another point without the actual transfer of matter. Hence, when we speak the sound from our vocal cords reaches to listener’s ear in the form of a wave.
Since the sound travels from the source point to the destination point within a time period, this encourages us to calculate the speed of the sound with which it travels. Also, we know that Sound is a mechanical wave hence its speed of propagation varies in different materials. In this article, we will learn, what is sound, what is the definition of Speed of Sound and the Speed of Sound with which it propagates in different media.
Table of Content
- What is a Sound Wave?
- What is Speed of Sound?
- Speed of Sound Formula
- Factors Affecting the Speed of Sound
- Speed of Sound in Different Medium
- Sample Problems on Sound Waves
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