How Fast Does Sound Travel Temperature Elevation?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Altitude Temperature mph Sea level

15 °C (59 °F)


761
11,000 m−20,000 m (Cruising altitude of commercial jets, and first supersonic flight) −57 °C (−70 °F) 660 29,000 m (Flight of X-43A) −48 °C (−53 °F) 673

What is the speed of sound at altitude?

Altitude Speed of Sound Feet (ft) Meter (m) mph 0 (sea level) 0 (sea level)

761.1

5,000


1524


747.9

10,000


3048


734.5

How does speed of sound vary with temperature?


The speed of sound changes by about . 6 metres per second for every degree

. Sound is transmitted through the air by compression waves, which, at a small scale, depend on molecules transferring energy one to another. Air molecules have more energy at higher temperatures, which means they vibrate faster.

Does sound travel faster in warm or cool air?

In terms of temperature,

sound waves move faster in warm air

and slower in cold air. So as sound moves through the atmosphere, some parts of the wave will be moving faster than the rest.

Does sound travel faster or slower as temperature increases?

Therefore, sound travels

faster at higher temperatures

and slower at lower temperatures. Solids are much more elastic than liquids or gases, and allow sound waves to travel through them very quickly, at about 6000 feet per second.

How fast does sound travel in mph?

If we consider the atmosphere on a standard day at sea level static conditions, the speed of sound is about

761 mph

, or 1100 feet/second.

Does sound travel at constant speed?


The speed of sound is constant

in the same sense that the mass of an object is constant.

What is the speed of sound at 85000 feet?

The SR-71 cruised at

Mach 3.2

, more than 2,000 mph, around 85,000 feet.

How fast does sound travel if the air temperature is 20 C?

At 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound in air is about

343 metres per second

(1,125 ft/s; 1,235 km/h; 767 mph; 667 kn), or one kilometre in 2.9 s or one mile in 4.7 s.

Which temperature is most favorable for sound to travel fastest?

Air Density and Temperature

Since sound is more easily transmitted between particles with strong bonds (tight springs), sound travels faster through denser air. However, you may have noticed from the table above that sound travels faster in the warmer

40 C

air than in the cooler 20 C air.

How fast does sound travel through concrete?

Solid Speed of Sound (m/s) Longitudal Shear Concrete

3700


3200
Constantan 5177 2625 Copper, annealed 4760 2325

Why is traffic noise louder at night?

The effect often happens at dawn and dusk because

sound bends from hotter air into cooler air

. During the day, the ground is hotter than the air above it so sound bends vertically upward. “Its only when the sun stops falling on the ground that the ground cools down. Then the air gets hotter above,” he said.

Why sound is louder at night than day?


Temperature inversion

is the reason why sounds can be heard much more clearly over longer distances at night than during the day—an effect often incorrectly attributed to the psychological result of nighttime quiet.

Where does sound travel fastest?

Sound waves can only travel through a solid, liquid or gas medium. They travel fastest

in solids

, then liquids and slowest in gases.

Does sound travel faster in summer or winter?


Sound travels faster in summer season than in winter season

. Sound travels faster in summer season than in winter season.

At what temperature does sound travel slowest?

At

freezing (0o Celcius)

, sound travels through air at 331 meters per second (about 740 mph). But, at 20oC, room temperature, sound travels at 343 meters per second (767 mph).

When sound travels faster near the ground than above?

The ground heats (and cools) the air near it. Normally the ground is warmer than the air above, so air temperature decreases with height in the troposphere (up to about 8 miles).

Sound travels faster in warmer air

, so the sound waves are refracted upward, away from the ground.

How fast in mph is 10 times the speed of sound?

At this point, the plane’s scramjet engine would fire up and take the aircraft to an unbelievable Mach 10, or just under

8,000 mph

(12,348 km/h).

How long does it take sound to travel 6 miles?

The speed of sound changes depending on temperature and humidity but one can estimate that sound travels

1 mile in roughly 5 seconds

.

How fast is twice the speed of sound?

On November 20, 1953, Albert Scott Crossfield became the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound as he piloted the Douglass D-588-ii Skyrocket to a speed of

2,078 km/h, Mach 2.005

.

How fast does sound travel if the air temperature is 40 degrees Celsius?

Temperature – t – (

o

C) Speed of Sound – c – (m/s)
20 343.3 25 346.3 30 349.1
40


354.7

What is the speed of sound at 30000 ft?

The speed of sound (Mach 1) varies with altitude and temperature. If an aircraft is travelling at the speed of sound at sea-level then its speed will be 661 knots (760 miles per hour) or if it is travelling at the speed of sound at 30,000 feet then its speed will be

589 knots

(677 miles per hour).

Are shock waves faster than sound?

In particular,

shock waves travel faster than sound

, and their speed increases as the amplitude is raised; but the intensity of a shock wave also decreases faster than does that of a sound wave, because some of the energy of the shock wave is expended to heat the medium in which it travels.

What is the sound barrier at sea level?

At what speed do you break the sound barrier? The speed at which you break the sound barrier depends on many conditions, including weather and altitude. It’s approximately 770 mph or

1,239 kmh

at sea level.

What is the speed of sound at 20000 feet?

At sea level, the speed of sound is about 761 miles per hour (1,225 kilometers per hour). At 20,000 feet (6,096 meters), the speed of sound is

660 miles per hour

(1,062 kilometers per hour).

What is the speed of Mach 25?

Regime Velocity Mach No mph Hypersonic 5–10 3836–7673 High-Hypersonic 10–25

7673–19180
Re-entry speeds > 25 > 19030
David Evans
Author
David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.