Does Sound Travel Faster In Cold Or Hot Weather?

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4 Answers

Pratik Rath Profile
Pratik Rath answered
Hot air has lower density and higher humidity carrying capacity.since velocity of sound is inversely proportional to the square root of density of medium, velocity of sound is higher in hot air.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
The first guy is right, and it seems like the rest of you need to revisit college physics. Humid air doesn't have greater density because water vapor is less dense than air. Look at the molecular weights. Water is 18 g/mol, and air is mostly nitrogen and oxygen, which are respectively 28 g/mol and 32 g/mol in their diatomic form.

Since the speed of sound is inversely proportional to the density of the medium it is passing through, a lower density medium propagates sound waves faster. Thus, sound travels faster in warmer air. The guy before this one got the right result, but through the wrong logic (humidified air is NOT more dense).
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Cold
Shirley McLean Profile
Shirley McLean answered
Sound travels at the speed of sound; not affected by heat or cold. That would be like saying we speak slower in cold weather, and faster in hot weather.
thanked the writer.
Anonymous
Anonymous commented
Wrong, speed of sound depends on the density of the medium (in this case air). At hotter temperatures teh air particles will be more lively and closer together, there will also be more water vapour in the air (Higher humidity level) which will also have an effect because water is more dense than air. SO at hotter temps, the partcles will be closer together and will transmit the sound wave faster.

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