What is the approximate speed of sound in air?

What is the approximate speed of sound in air?

• A. 150 meters per second
• B. 300 meters per second
• C. 600 meters per second
• D. 900 meters per second

Answer: (B)

Sound travels in air as a pressure wave, and its speed depends mainly on the air’s temperature and its properties. In typical room-temperature air, the speed is about 343 meters per second, so for quick estimates it’s common to use around 300 meters per second. The other numbers are far from what air normally conducts sound at room temperature: 150 m/s is too slow for air, while 600 m/s and 900 m/s would be faster than air’s usual value and would require much higher temperatures or a different medium. A handy way to remember the general range is that sound in air is a few hundred meters per second, roughly 340 m/s at room temperature, which explains why you can hear and react to sounds in real time across short distances.

Sound travels in air as a pressure wave, and its speed depends mainly on the air’s temperature and its properties. In typical room-temperature air, the speed is about 343 meters per second, so for quick estimates it’s common to use around 300 meters per second. The other numbers are far from what air normally conducts sound at room temperature: 150 m/s is too slow for air, while 600 m/s and 900 m/s would be faster than air’s usual value and would require much higher temperatures or a different medium. A handy way to remember the general range is that sound in air is a few hundred meters per second, roughly 340 m/s at room temperature, which explains why you can hear and react to sounds in real time across short distances.