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Does sound travel faster or slower in water than it does in air?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Short and simple:
Sound is a compression (or pressure) wave.
There are two things that affect the speed of sound, the density of a material and its compressibility. Specifically, the speed of sound is proportional to the square root of the ratio.
v=sqrt(B/rho)
v=speed of sound.
B= bulk modulus. (There are different names for this material property such as coefficient of stiffness).
rho= mass density.
A greater density of a material tends to slow the velocity of sound but a greater stiffness tends to increase the velocity of sound.
The bulk modulus of water is 15,000 times greater than air while the density of water is not even one thousand times greater.
Bulk modulus wins out and the velocity of sound in water is more than four times the velocity in air.
This relationship causes the speed of sound to be greater in most materials, but there are exceptions.
More Details:
The reader should be warned that there is much more to sound in materials than one see in the simple compression waves of air. Further, materials like steel come in various compositions and the micro structure depends on the processes that make it, so there is no such thing as a single number fore the speed of sound in steel.
Here are a few typical numbers for bulk modulus (stiffness) and density.
Air(adiabatic)
B= 1.42×10^5 Pa rho= 1.22 kg/m^3
Water
B=2.2×10^9 Pa rho= 1,000 kg/m^3
Steel
B= 160 x10^9 Pa rho=7,860 kg/m^3
v_air = 340 m/s.
v_water = 1482 m/s
v_steel= 4500 m/s
Caveat: As stated above, these numbers should be taken as approximate since various complications such as temperature and composition have not been explained.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoSound travels about 4.3 times faster in water, liquids and non-porous solids (5,120 m/s in iron) than it does in air.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agosound travels 4.3 times faster in water than in air
Wiki User
∙ 11y agosound mostly travel faster through air
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Is the speed of sound in cork greater than speed of sound in water?
No. The denser the material, the faster sound moves through it.
Why is the speed of sound greater for stone than water or air?
Sound can travel better through denser objects, so since stone is denser than water and air, sound can travel faster through it.
Sound travels faster through what?
The speed of sound is determined by what it travels through. It travels faster through dense mediums, such as liquids, and doesn't travel at all in space, because there are no molecules to move sound waves along.
Do sound waves travel faster in water or in cooking oil?
I would say the water is quicker Sound travels fastest through more dense materials. Oil is more is less dense than water, meaning that sound travels faster through water than oil.
Why is the speed of sound in water faster than in air?
Sound waves travel faster in water than in air because of the particle configuration. The particles in water are closer to each other compared to the particles in air. Since sound travels with one particle bumping into another and causing it to vibrate, sound waves travel faster in water.
Does light travel more faster or slower as they enter water?
Slower in water.
What does sound travel a little slower through?
Trough water...
Does sound travel faster in the air or water?
Sound travels faster in water thanin air.
How does sound affect water?
Water makes sound slower and if it goes through matter it goes faster
Where does sound travel faster in water or land?
water
Does sound travel faster in sea water or air?
it travels faster in water
How does water affect sound waves?
Water makes sound slower and if it goes through matter it goes faster
Does empty space make sound travel fastest?
Sound waves need a medium (such as air, water, metal and other materials) to travel through. Sound waves travel by slightly displacing the atoms from their original position as it moves. With empty space (no atoms) the sound waves cannot travel at all. In general, sound travels slower in gasses, then faster in liquids, and even faster in solids. Each substance is different, though.
Why does sound travell faster under water than under ground?
Actually, sound travels slower under water than underground. Sound is a vibration in molecules that we perceive as noise. Water's molecules are rather loose compared to a solid's molecules, so it would travel slower underwater compared to traveling underground.
Does sound travel faster through wood or water?
Water.
Why does sound travel more slowly at higher altitude?
Sound is in its simplest terms, is vibrations of the air (or other particles). There is less air at a higher altitude (that is why people need air tanks when climbing Mt Everest) therefore, the slower it takes for it to travel. There is no sound in space, because there is no air. Sound will travels FASTER in water than in air, because once again there are more particles in water. Think of it this way. The more messenger boys (particles) you have, the faster a message (sound) will get across the country, the less messenger boys you have, the slower the message will travel.
Why does sound travel slowly at higher altitude?
Sound is in its simplest terms, is vibrations of the air (or other particles). There is less air at a higher altitude (that is why people need air tanks when climbing Mt Everest) therefore, the slower it takes for it to travel. There is no sound in space, because there is no air. Sound will travels FASTER in water than in air, because once again there are more particles in water. Think of it this way. The more messenger boys (particles) you have, the faster a message (sound) will get across the country, the less messenger boys you have, the slower the message will travel.
