How Do You Calculate Air Temperature from Echo Delay and Speed of Sound?

AI Thread Summary
To calculate air temperature from echo delay and the speed of sound, the formula V = d/t is used, where V is the speed of sound, d is the distance, and t is the time taken for the sound to return. In the example, with a distance of 300 meters and a total time of 1.7 seconds, the effective time for the sound to travel one way is 0.85 seconds, leading to a calculated speed of sound of 353 m/s. Using the formula for the speed of sound in air, Cair = 331.5 + (0.6 x theta), the temperature is derived as approximately 35.8 ºC. The calculations align with information sourced from Wikipedia, confirming the methodology is correct. This demonstrates how to accurately determine air temperature based on sound travel time.
Moe_slow
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i need some help with this question.

"Jim is walking in a field and screams...the wall is 300 meters away it takes 1.7 seconds for the sound to come back...wat is the temperature in the air."

so i tried it as:

V=d/t
...= 300m/0.85s
...= 353m/s

from there i think i have to use the speed of sound formula and isolate the 0.59t. and then divide by it. i keep on getting a different answer then the one in my textbook.
 
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Cair= 331.5 + (0.6 x theta)
353 = 331.5 + (0.6 x theta)
theta = (353 - 331.5)/0.6
theta = 35.8 ºC

It's hot!
Notice that I get this formula from wikipedia, I could be wrong since I never learned this. But I read the article and it seems to be correct.

See- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_sound
 
thanks its correct...
 

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