Asked by lutina
do you think sound will move faster in cool pond water or in warm bath water
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Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Sound travels faster in warm bath water.
Why: in liquids the speed of sound c ≈ sqrt(bulk modulus / density). As water warms its compressibility and molecular motion change so that pressure disturbances travel faster. Empirically, sound speed in fresh water rises by roughly 3–5 m/s per °C.
Numbers for scale:
- ~1400 m/s at 0°C
- ~1480 m/s at 20°C
- ~1525–1535 m/s near 40°C
So a cool pond (say 5–15°C) will have a noticeably lower sound speed than a warm bath (≈35–40°C). Note: salinity, pressure (depth) and impurities also affect the speed a little, but temperature is the dominant factor for this comparison.
Why: in liquids the speed of sound c ≈ sqrt(bulk modulus / density). As water warms its compressibility and molecular motion change so that pressure disturbances travel faster. Empirically, sound speed in fresh water rises by roughly 3–5 m/s per °C.
Numbers for scale:
- ~1400 m/s at 0°C
- ~1480 m/s at 20°C
- ~1525–1535 m/s near 40°C
So a cool pond (say 5–15°C) will have a noticeably lower sound speed than a warm bath (≈35–40°C). Note: salinity, pressure (depth) and impurities also affect the speed a little, but temperature is the dominant factor for this comparison.
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