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Blog Measuring the speed of sound
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  • Author Author: kk99
  • Date Created: 2 Aug 2020 1:29 PM Date Created
  • Views 3107 views
  • Likes 12 likes
  • Comments 12 comments
  • provingsciencech
  • science
  • speed of sound
  • audacity
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Measuring the speed of sound

kk99
kk99
2 Aug 2020


image

Basic concept is to measure the speed of the sound using echoes and with the microphone build in notebook.

 

Apparatus and materials:

1. Notebook or device with microphone,

2. Sound editor e.g. Audacity

3. Paper or other material tube with known length (in my case 70 cm length tube)

 

Procedure:

1. Place the tube is closest to possible to the microphone and start recording with possible highest sampling rate (in my case 19200 samples),

2. Make sound by clapping hands or whistling,

3. With the sound editor find the first sound and its echo then measure time difference between them. The speed of sound could be calculated from below formula: speed = (2 * length of tube) / time. If you use difference in samples you could get time value by dividing this difference by sampling rate e.g. 750 / 192000.

 

At the of the measurement the speed of sound should be around 350 m/s relative to air temperature.

 

Below there is video with sample calculation of sound speed with usage of Audacity editor:

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Top Comments

  • jw0752
    jw0752 over 5 years ago +7
    Very nice experiment. I bet one could do something similar using a simultaneous light and sound emission with an audio and light pick up a known distance away and monitored by the oscilloscope. The idea…
  • balearicdynamics
    balearicdynamics over 5 years ago +4
    Nice experiment, very appreciated the simple setup and the results
  • colporteur
    colporteur over 5 years ago +4
    Friggin (can you say that) awesome! Simple experiment that has real practical value for the visual learner. Nice job kk99 .
  • dougw
    dougw over 5 years ago in reply to kk99

    There should be some sort of reflection from the end of the open tube because of the acoustic impedance mismatch at that plane.

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  • kk99
    kk99 over 5 years ago in reply to dougw

    I have not tested this case but probably there will be a reflection from nearby wall.

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  • dougw
    dougw over 5 years ago

    Interesting experiment. If the tube is open ended, do you still get a good reflection?

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 5 years ago in reply to jw0752

    This brings back memories of school physics class almost 40 years ago. image

     

    School playground with a wooden chopping board, a hammer, a tape measure and a stop watch.

     

    The chopping board was aimed toward the wall of the school building and repeatedly struck with the hammer each time the echo was heard. The number of strikes were counted along with the overall duration and the distance to the wall.

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 5 years ago in reply to dubbie

    "...But then I had difficulty with the idea of measuring the actual distance across the valley..."

    Perhaps you need a lunchbox with a retroreflector pattern stamped into its lid, just for such occasions image

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