Solution Found!
Discuss why sound travels faster in moist air. (Note that
Chapter 12, Problem 87TAD(choose chapter or problem)
Discuss why sound travels faster in moist air. (Note that at the same temperature, water vapor molecules have the same average kinetic energy as the heavier nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air.) How, then, do the average speeds of \(H_2O\) molecules compare with the speeds of \(N_2\) and \(O_2\) molecules?
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Discuss why sound travels faster in moist air. (Note that at the same temperature, water vapor molecules have the same average kinetic energy as the heavier nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air.) How, then, do the average speeds of \(H_2O\) molecules compare with the speeds of \(N_2\) and \(O_2\) molecules?
ANSWER:Step 1 of 3
Speed of sound in air increases with the increase in humidity in air. The density of water vapor is about 5/8 th times the density of dry air at ordinary temperature, therefore the increase of moisture in air tends to decrease the density of air.