Sound travels at different speeds depending on what it is traveling through. Of the three mediums (gas, liquid, and solid) sound waves travel the slowest through gases, faster through liquids, and fastest through solids. Temperature also affects the speed of sound. Gases: The speed of sound depends upon the properties of the medium it is passing through. When we look at the properties of a gas, we see that only when molecules collide
with each other can the condensations and rarefactions of a sound wave move about. So, it makes sense that the speed of sound has the same order of magnitude as the average molecular speed between collisions. In a gas, it is particularly important to know the temperature. This is because at lower temperatures, molecules collide more often, giving the sound wave more chances to move around rapidly. At freezing (0� Celcius), sound travels through air at 331 meters per second (about 740 mph). But,
at 20�C, room temperature, sound travels at 343 meters per second (767 mph). Liquids: Sound travels faster in liquids than in gases because molecules are more tightly packed. In fresh water, sound waves travel at 1,482 meters per second (about 3,315 mph). That's well over 4 times faster than in air! Several ocean-dwelling animals rely upon sound waves to communicate with other animals and to locate food and obstacles. The reason that they are able to effectively use this method of communication over long distances is that sound travels so much faster in water. Solids: Sound travels fastest through solids. This is because molecules in a solid medium are much closer together than those in a liquid or gas, allowing sound waves to travel more quickly through it. In fact, sound waves travel over 17 times faster through steel than through air. The exact speed of sound in steel is 5,960 meters per second (13,332 mph)! But, this is only for the majority of solids. The speed of sound in all solids are not faster than in all liquids. The speed of sound depends on the density and the bulk modulus elasticity of a gas. Speed of sound for some gases at 0oC and atmospheric pressure:
Note that speed is a scalar quantity. Velocity is vector quantity with direction. What is the speed of sound in argon?Speed of Sound in Gases. Does sound travel faster in helium or argon?The sound travels faster in helium as per given temperature air, helium and argon. Because in helium atoms are less massive than air or argon molecules and so for a given amount of heat energy they will fly quicker and carry a disturbance more rapidly in sound.
Which gas sound travels fastest?hydrogen is more compressible (elastic) than carbon dioxide and thus sound travels faster in hydrogen gas.
Which element does sound travel fastest?Solids: Sound travels fastest through solids. This is because molecules in a solid medium are much closer together than those in a liquid or gas, allowing sound waves to travel more quickly through it. In fact, sound waves travel over 17 times faster through steel than through air.
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