Question about the Speed of Sound

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The speed of sound is primarily influenced by the medium through which it travels, including factors like density and temperature. While louder sounds can theoretically travel faster, in practical terms, most sounds are quiet enough that their speed remains relatively constant. The speed of sound varies across different gases and environments, such as water and the atmosphere, and is not a fixed value. Seismologists utilize sound waves to analyze geological layers beneath the Earth's surface. Understanding these principles is essential for grasping the nuances of sound propagation.
Vorde
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Operating on what I have been taught (that sound is the vibration of the air and that particles compress, then expand, then bump into others which compress, hence waves), I don't see why louder sound doesn't travel faster than slower sound?

Can anyone help me with this?
 
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It actually does. However, pretty much all sound is quiet enough so that the speed of sound doesn't change very much for any reasonable volume. Extremely loud sound would travel faster than the "speed of sound" though.
 
Do you happen to know on what basis the speed of sound as defined is? Is it just the average speed or is it the precise speed of a particular sound.
 
cjl said:
It actually does. However, pretty much all sound is quiet enough so that the speed of sound doesn't change very much for any reasonable volume. Extremely loud sound would travel faster than the "speed of sound" though.

ohhh yeah ??

do you have any references for that please ?

everything I have ever read indicates that the only thing that affects the speed of sound is the medium that it traveling through.


Dave
 
Last edited:
Vorde said:
Do you happen to know on what basis the speed of sound as defined is? Is it just the average speed or is it the precise speed of a particular sound.

its speed is not constant, for the reason I stated in my last post.
its different in different pure gasses, in water, in the atmosphere and even then depends on the air density and temperature. More dense at the Earth's surface than at say 5km altitude.
it has a different speed through the earth.
Seismologists use sound waves to determine depth, thickness and type of rock layers below the surface of the ground.

a good place to learn some basics is from wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_sound

cheers
Dave
 

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