Asked by mark
does sound travels faster through water than air
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Yes. Sound travels much faster in water than in air.
Typical speeds:
- Air (20 °C): about 343 m/s.
- Fresh water (20 °C): about 1480 m/s.
- Seawater: roughly 1500 m/s (varies with temperature, salinity, pressure).
Why: sound speed depends on how easily a medium can be compressed (its stiffness or bulk modulus) and its density. Mathematically c ≈ sqrt(B/ρ). Water is far less compressible (much stiffer) than air, so despite being denser, the stiffness dominates and sound travels faster.
Notes: speed also varies with temperature, pressure and composition (e.g., salinity in ocean water). Solids are generally even faster (e.g., steel ~5000–6000 m/s).
Typical speeds:
- Air (20 °C): about 343 m/s.
- Fresh water (20 °C): about 1480 m/s.
- Seawater: roughly 1500 m/s (varies with temperature, salinity, pressure).
Why: sound speed depends on how easily a medium can be compressed (its stiffness or bulk modulus) and its density. Mathematically c ≈ sqrt(B/ρ). Water is far less compressible (much stiffer) than air, so despite being denser, the stiffness dominates and sound travels faster.
Notes: speed also varies with temperature, pressure and composition (e.g., salinity in ocean water). Solids are generally even faster (e.g., steel ~5000–6000 m/s).
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