Speaker is at Point A, Listener is at Point B 150 feet away. What determines the fastest arrival time of the sound for that scenario? Vote in Poll!
Ray, the temperature cannot be controlled by the Operator so that is why it is not an option in the Poll. Everything else listed could be changed by the operator. Temperature and the building would be two of the aspects that are to be considered as permanent fixtures which for this will remain constant. In this exercise we will dwell on what and when the listener in point B hears and if that can be changed at will by replacing other components. Just clarifying.With Steve somewhat, as I would say the atmospheric conditions, at a recent outside gig I went from 90 degrees and 98% humidity at set up and tune, to 91 degrees and 54% humidity at gig time. Temp only changed 1 degree, but the sound went from clear and no bounce backs off the barns and out buildings in the area, to all kinds of acoustic slap back. I had to make major changes in the DSP and minor changes in speaker location and direction. Volume was not changes between the two time lines.
Ray J.
The speed of sound is the speed of sound only the whim of nature or the fluid it is moving through (air is fluid too) will affect it.
If there are speakers deployed on the same plane and some may require Delays because of design eg. Folded Horns etc, then adversely we could say that some sound from said speakers do really travel from their point faster than the others on the same plane. That is why we needed the delays for those ones. (NOt referring to speakers deployed in other areas) To the average listener it will be negligent and may not be perceived. So theoretically a certain Horn design or the like can contribute to the sound being transmitted immediately at its exit point or may take awhile through the chambers before it does. All in all it may be hardly noticeable to the untrained ears but a precise measuring device may very well pick up on that difference.
I have also heard that spl may have something to do with the way sound travels. For example, if you have a note being played from a 18" speaker powered in full by a 800 watt amplifier at full blast, then it is possible that the note may be perceived faster than the same note being played from a 20 w 10" speaker and amp. Given that the listener or measuring tool is standing in the same spot. It could be artificial perception, who knows.
Look atmosphere, humidity etc.... Play a very minuscule role in how fast sound travels. There are two major factors in line of sight sound travel.... 1. Frequency and 2 amplitude
that said...
High frequencies will travel faster and are more dependent on amplitude for how far they travel before dissipation becomes a factor.
Low frequencies travel slower due to their wave length, but amplitude isn't as big of a factor because dissipation over distance isn't as pronounced as it is for high frequencies. This is also due to the size of the wave length.
The speed of a sound wave in air depends upon the properties of the air, mostly the temperature, and to a lesser degree, the humidity. Humidity is the result of water vapor being present in air. Like any liquid, water has a tendency to evaporate. As it does, particles of gaseous water become mixed in the air. This additional matter will affect the mass density of the air (an inertial property). The temperature will affect the strength of the particle interactions (an elastic property). At normal atmospheric pressure, the temperature dependence of the speed of a sound wave through dry air is approximated by the following equation: v = 331 m/s + (0.6 m/s/C)•T
where T is the temperature of the air in degrees Celsius. Using this equation to determine the speed of a sound wave in air at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius yields the following solution.
UM .. NO ... frequency and amplitude have ZERO effect on the speed that sound travels. It's the medium it travels through and the temperature ONLY, as they determine how the pressure wave propagates.
For a physics lesson, see: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/u11l2c.cfm
You're telling a sonar operator this?
in water temp, salinity level and water density all play a roll in how far not how fast sound will travel same as in open air... But frequency determines how fast and amplitude determines how far... Atmosphere just determines the level of dissipation over distance occurs
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The question as I understood it does not account for atmosphere and in any case atmospheric conditions have a lesser affect over speed and the ability to reach its target than frequency and amplitude do. That's not to say that atmosphere has no affect just that it plays a minor role in comparison.
Trust me, the government did.
Sonar waves are the same from a physics perspective, though the medium is different and therefore the speed will be different than through air, and the water density, salinity levels and such will have an effect on the makeup of the water, so they will change the speed to a minor level.
Amplitude does indeed determine how far a wave will travel, but not the speed of it.
Frequency does not determine how fast it will travel.
how can you say frequency does not factor in? It most certainly does.... Your article is incorrect in its stipulation in the relationship to frequency and speed... The higher the frequency the faster it disrupts the medium it travels on or through.
I never said amplitude affects speed. As you said it only affects distance and that I agree with.
from a submarines perspective it's easier to hide in a hot water pocket then cold because sound under water travels better in cold water than warm water due to density and selenite content. But we're not talking about water.
do this play a sample frequency at a 100hz and then one at 1khz from 100 feet with all factors being equal other than frequency which one reaches the target first?
now increase the amplitude of each and tell me if they reached you faster.
This shows the direct relationship between frequency and speed
http://www.gcse.com/waves/wave_speed2.htm
Sorry I did misspeak what I was trying to correlate, which the article I linked above does better, is that frequency of a sound wave do factor.Sorry Joker, if you play a 100Hz, a 1KHz, and a 10KHz sound at 100 feet .. all three will arrive at the exact same time .. it's physics. They may not be at the same amplitude due to the drivers, horn type, etc., but they will in fact arrive at the same time. I will bet any amount you'd like on that.
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That's not a "direct" relationship, it is an indirect relationship, as there are 2 parameters that would change on the left side of the equation : the frequency (wavelength) AND the time period, which varies with the frequency, so the "speed" will be the same.
Sorry I did misspeak what I was trying to correlate, which the article I linked above does better, is that frequency of a sound wave do factor.