Question #8a295
1 Answer
The speed of sound in a solid is much higher than in air, but an actual value depends on which solid you are considering.
Explanation:
For any medium, the speed of sound will depend on two general factors. One is a density factor, and in general, the more dense the material, the slower sound will travel.
The second is a force factor. The more strongly the particles in the medium attract one another, the faster sound will travel. For solids, this factor is known as the bulk modulus. You can check it out if you like, but it can be a little complicated!
Here are a few examples: Speed of sound
in concrete: 3200 to 3600 m/s
in steel: 6100 m/s
in diamond: 12 000 m/s
You see that as the force factor increases (diamond is the hardest and most strongly bonded material), the speed of sound increases along with it (actually with the square root of the bulk modulus).
