IB Speed of Sound

Your goal is to measure the Speed of Sound. You will need to turn in:

1. A diagram of your setup. label any distances you measure

2. Your data

3. You calculations of the speed of sound

4. The uncertainty of that calculation

Generally we tend to use one of three methods

1. Standing waves in a pipe/string

v = f(wavelength)

find the f using the function generator, calculate the wavelength from the standing wave form. The wave will stick out of the pipe about 0.3D where D is the pipe's inside diameter, so add this to both ends.

You could use a musical instrument, and in this case you would be measuring the speed of the standing waves that make the pitch. (Trumpets have a lowest note that is the second harmonic actually of both ends open).

2. Sound bouncing off a wall

v = x/t

where x is twice the distance to the wall, and t we get from timing using loggerpro and a microphone

3. Clap echo clap echo clap echo

v = x/t

where x is the distance to the back of the auditorium from the bleachers by the softball field (from Google Earth) , and t is the time for the sound to travel that distance.

Feel free to search the interwebs for any method there to measure the speed of sound.