Sienna Rhodes
The speed of sound refers to the speed at which sound waves travel through a medium, such as air, water, or solids. The speed of sound varies depending on the substance through which the sound wave is travelling. In colloquial terms, speed of sound refers to the speed of sound waves in the air, which is about 767 miles per hour or 343 m/s at 20°C at sea level. Objects can travel at supersonic speeds, faster than the speed of sound, and when they do, they leave sound waves behind, creating a sonic boom.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Speed of sound in air | 343 m/s or 767 mph or 0.3 km/s |
| Speed of sound in water | 1481 m/s |
| Speed of sound in iron | 5120 m/s |
| Speed of sound in diamond | 12,000 m/s |
| Speed of light | 186,000 mph or 300,000 km/s |
| Ratio of speed of light to speed of sound | 1 million times faster |
| Objects moving at speeds greater than the speed of sound | supersonic |
| Objects moving at speeds greater than the speed of light | impossible, breaks fundamental laws of physics |
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What You'll Learn
Breaking the sound barrier
The sound barrier refers to the speed at which an object can travel faster than the speed of sound. In dry air at 20°C (68°F), the speed of sound is 343 metres per second (approximately 767 mph, 1234 km/h, or 1,125 ft/s). The speed of sound varies depending on factors such as temperature, altitude, and the medium through which the sound wave is travelling. For example, while sound travels at 343 m/s in air, it travels at 1481 m/s in water and 5120 m/s in iron.
As an object approaches the speed of sound, it encounters increased aerodynamic drag caused by the build-up of sound pressure waves in front of it. This phenomenon, known as compressibility, acts as a barrier, making faster speeds more challenging to attain. Breaking through this "sound barrier" requires overcoming the significant drag forces and other adverse effects.
Historically, breaking the sound barrier posed significant challenges for aircraft designers and pilots. During World War II, pilots of high-speed fighter aircraft experienced issues related to compressibility, hindering further acceleration and seemingly impeding flight at speeds approaching the sound barrier. The term "sound barrier" originated during this period to describe these obstacles to achieving supersonic flight.
On October 14, 1947, Captain Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier, flying a small, rocket-like plane called the Bell X-1. Yeager's achievement marked a significant milestone in aviation history, demonstrating that supersonic speeds were attainable.
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Sonic boom
The speed of sound is used as a relative measure for the speed of an object moving through the medium. Objects moving faster than the speed of sound are travelling at supersonic speeds. The speed of sound varies depending on the substance through which the sound wave is travelling. For example, sound travels at 343 m/s in air, 1481 m/s in water, and 5120 m/s in iron.
The power or volume of the shock wave depends on the quantity of air that is being accelerated and, thus, the size and shape of the aircraft. The boom's "length" from front to back depends on the length of the aircraft to a power of 3/2. Longer aircraft, therefore, "spread out" their booms more than smaller ones, resulting in a less powerful boom.
The strongest sonic boom ever recorded was 7,000 Pa and was produced by an F-4 flying just above the speed of sound at an altitude of 100 feet (30 m). This did not cause injury to the researchers who were exposed to it. However, there is a probability that some damage, such as shattered glass, could result from a sonic boom.
In the late 1950s, when supersonic transport (SST) designs were being actively pursued, it was assumed that the problems caused by sonic booms could be avoided by flying higher. This assumption was proven false when the North American XB-70 Valkyrie first flew, and it was found that the boom was a problem even at 70,000 feet (21,000 m).
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Mach number
The terms subsonic and supersonic refer to speeds below and above the local speed of sound, and to particular ranges of Mach values. In fluid dynamics, the speed of sound in a fluid medium is used as a relative measure for the speed of an object moving through the medium. Objects moving at speeds greater than the speed of sound (Mach 1) are said to be travelling at supersonic speeds. When an aircraft travels at supersonic speeds, it leaves the sound waves it makes behind it, creating a sonic boom.
In addition to the above, Mach number is one of the most prevalent parameters used in airfoil design, particularly for compressor blades. It is also a key scaling criterion for experimental aerodynamics.
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Sound waves
The speed of sound refers to the speed of sound waves as they travel through a medium such as air, water, or solids. The speed of sound is variable and depends on the properties of the substance through which the wave is travelling. Typically, sound travels slowest in gases, faster in liquids, and fastest in solids. For example, while sound travels at 343 m/s in air, it travels at 1481 m/s in water and 5120 m/s in iron. In an exceptionally stiff material such as diamond, sound can travel at around 12,000 m/s.
The speed of sound in a fluid medium (gas or liquid) is used as a relative measure for the speed of an object moving through the medium. Objects moving at speeds greater than the speed of sound are said to be travelling at supersonic speeds. In Earth's atmosphere, the speed of sound varies from about 295 m/s at high altitudes to about 355 m/s at high temperatures.
When an aircraft travels at supersonic speeds, it leaves the sound waves it makes behind it. These waves fan out and cause a sonic boom. As a plane travels faster, it starts to catch up with its sound waves. When the speed of the plane gets close to the speed of the sound waves it emits, the waves start to pile up, leading to increased atmospheric pressure and drag, which makes further acceleration difficult.
In a non-dispersive medium, the speed of sound is independent of sound frequency. However, the medium in which a sound wave is travelling does not always respond adiabatically, and as a result, the speed of sound can vary with frequency. The speed of sound is also influenced by the molecular composition of the gas, with sound propagating faster in low molecular weight gases such as helium than in heavier gases such as xenon.
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Speed of sound in different media
The speed of sound is not the same in all media. It depends on the medium and the state of the medium. Sound waves travel faster in solids than in liquids, and faster in liquids than in gases. This is because the elastic properties are different for different materials. The molecules in solids are closer together and more tightly bonded than those in liquids or gases. As a result, sound can travel through solids more quickly.
Sound waves in solids are composed of compression waves and shear waves, which only occur in solids. Shear waves travel at different speeds than compression waves. The speed of compression waves in solids is determined by the medium's compressibility, shear modulus, and density. The speed of shear waves is determined by the solid material's shear modulus and density.
Sound waves in fluids (gases or liquids) are longitudinal. In gases, sound travels at about 70% of the mean molecular speed, and this figure is influenced by temperature. The speed of sound in the air is low because air is easily compressible. The speed of sound in normal air is around 340 m/s or 343 m/s.
In liquids, sound travels faster than in gases but slower than in solids. The speed of sound in water is more than that of air, at around 1433 m/s or 1480 m/s.
Sound travels at different speeds in different solids. For example, the speed of sound in steel is 5100 m/s or 6000 m/s, while in aluminium, it is 0.632 cm/microsecond. Sound travels 35 times faster in diamonds than in the air.
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Frequently asked questions
The speed of sound is a speed at which sound waves travel through a medium, such as air, water, or solids. The speed of sound is variable and depends on the properties of the substance through which the wave is traveling. For example, sound travels at 343 m/s in air, 1481 m/s in water, and 5120 m/s in iron.
Objects moving at speeds greater than the speed of sound are said to be traveling at supersonic speeds. As an object reaches the speed of sound, a shock wave is formed, and when it travels faster than sound, a sonic boom is created.
As an object approaches the speed of sound, the sound waves it emits start to pile up, causing increased atmospheric pressure and drag, making further acceleration difficult. Special aircraft designs and flying techniques are needed to "push through" this so-called speed barrier.
Supersonic airplanes are used for military and research purposes, with the Concorde and Tu-144 being examples of retired commercial supersonic planes. Space rockets also go supersonic early in their flights, and Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver, achieved faster-than-sound speed during his famous supersonic freefall in 2012.
