Speed of Sound Lab

Goal:
To determine an experimental value for the speed of sound.

Background Information:
The speed of sound is impacted by many different factors, including but not limited to temperature, pressure, humidity and composition of molecules in the air. The density and organization of molecules (gas, liquid or solid) influences the speed of sound.

Process:
For this lab, we used a long, thin cardboard box to determine the speed of sound. Using Logger Pro, we were able to determine the amount time it took for the sound waves of a snap to travel from the opening to the box, bounce off the other end and travel back to the opening.

Data:

Distance = speed * time
Speed = distance / time

Trial 1: ∆t = 0.0053457 s
Trial 2: ∆t = 0.0052639 s
Trial 3: ∆t = 0.0054821 s
Trial 4: ∆t = 0.0055367 s
Trial 5: ∆t = 0.0057821 s
Average value: ∆t = 0.0054821 s
Length of box: 97.5 cm
Distance travelled by sound: 195 cm / 1.95 m

Experimental speed of sound: 1.95 m / 0.0054821 s = 355.7031065 m/s
Accepted speed of sound at sea level: 340.29 m/s
Percent error: 4.53%

Conclusion:
This allowed us to find the experimental speed of sound on our own. It also allowed us to understand the variability of the speed of sound depending on many different factors. Though the accepted speed of sound at sea level is 340.29 m/s it is not entirely accurate to say that our percentage error was 4.53% given the inconsistency of the matter.