Speed of Sound in Different Medium

Question 1 Is the speed of sound more in water or steel?

Question 2 In which medium sound travels faster:air or iron?

Question 3 What name is given to those aircrafts which fly at speeds greater than the speed of sound?

Question 4 What is meant by supersonic speed?

Question 5 On what factors does speed of sound depends?

Question 6 Define sonic boom?

Question 7 In which medium sound travels faster:air or hydrogen?

Speed of sound in different medium
Sound takes some time to travel from sound producing body to our ears.
The speed of sound tells us the rate at which sound travels from sound producing body to our ears.

Speed of sound depends on:
1)Nature of medium or material through which it travels:Speed of sound is different in different material(Air 344 m/s,water 1500 m/s  ,iron 5130 m/s)

speed of sound  solid>liquid>gases

2)On the temperature
As the temperature increases speed of sound increases.
 0 °C   air  332 m/s
22 °C   air  344 m/s

3)Humidity of air
Speed of sound is less in dry air and speed of sound is more in humid air.
As the humidity increases speed of sound increases.

Sonic Boom
When the speed of any object exceed the speed of sound it is said to be travelling at supersonic speed.

For Ex:Bullets,jets,aircraft etc.

When a sound producing source moves with a speed higher than that of sound,it produces shock wave in air.These shock waves carry large amount of energy.

The tremendous air pressure variation cause by the shock wave produce a loud burst called sonic boom.

The sonic boom produces intolerable loud noise which cause pain in our ears,shatter the glass panes of building.