What three properties of a medium affect the speed of sound?

Answer 1

Short Answer:

The speed of a sound wave depends on two properties of a medium, density and elasticity. Changes in temperature and pressure affect these properties and, of course, a change in the chemical or physical composition of a material affects these properties.

Long Answer:

Specifically, for basically all substances, the speed of sound equals the square root of the ratio of the elastic constant divided by the density.

Solids, for instance, generally become less elastic, i.e. the elastic constant gets larger, as temperature is lowered, so the speed of sound should increase.

In air and most gasses, the speed of sound depends on the temperature and not much else (i.e. not pressure) because the density and elasticity change in ways that compensate and leave the speed unchanged.

There are different kinds of sound waves. The usual simple longitudinal (compression) waves that we are familiar with as sound detected by our ear are what we usually mean by the word sound, but there are also transverse matter vibrations also called shear waves. Earthquakes provide an example of both types of these wave, but actually any solid material can have both shear and compression waves. The rules, ratio of elastic constant to density, are true for both types of waves.

The speed of a wave can depend on the frequency, but this is generally a small effect for sounds in the range of the human ear. (This is called dispersion.)

We understand this phenomenon by saying that the elastic constant depends on frequency or wavelength. Explaining the cause of that would be a whole different answer to a different question. (See related questions link.)

As an example of change due to chemical composition, it is well known that humid air propagates sound differently than dry air, but this is basically because it changes the density of air.

An example of a material change that is obvious is the freezing of water. At zero degrees centigrade, water can be either liquid or solid. The two forms propagate sound very differently.

Caveat: This is true for gasses, solids and liquids, but for peculiar things like plasmas it may be different.

Answer 2

The three properties of a medium that affect the speed of sound are elasticity,

density, and temperature.

Answered by: Nur _ _ _ _ _ _ Izyani

Answer 3

Speed and Velocity affects how fast waves travel.

Answer 4

There are many properties. Temperature medium are examples.