The Speed of Sound

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SOL 5.2 PART 3 Force, Motion, Energy & Matter NOTEPAGE FOR STUDENT The Speed of Sound We know that sound is a form of energy that is produced by vibrating matter. We also know that where there is no matter there is no sound. Sound waves must have a medium (matter) to travel through. When we talk, sound waves travel in air. Sound also travels in liquids and solids. How fast speed travels, or the speed of sound, depends on the kind of matter it is moving through. Of the three phases of matter (gas, liquid, and solid), sound waves travel the slowest through gases, faster through liquids, and fastest through solids. Let’s find out why. Sound moves slowest through a gas. That’s because the molecules in a gas are spaced very far apart. In order for sound to travel through air, the floating molecules of matter must vibrate and collide to form compression waves. Because the molecules of matter in a gas are spaced far apart, sound moves slowest through a gas. Sound travels faster in liquids than in gases because molecules are packed more closely together. This means that when the water molecules begin to vibrate, they quickly begin to collide with each other forming a rapidly moving compression wave. Sound travels over four times faster than in air! Sound travels fastest through solids. This is because molecules in a solid are packed against each other. When a vibration begins, the molecules of a solid immediately collide and the compression wave travels rapidly. How fast, you ask? Sound waves travel over 17 times faster through steel than through air. That’s amazing! ©2012 .

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