Why does sound travel faster in moist air? (?Hint:? 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 H2O molecules compare with those of N2 and O2 molecules?)
Solution 22E B The relationship between speed of sound and density is given by the equation v = d, where B is the bulk modulus of elasticity of air and d is air density. Now, moist air has a density lower than that of dry air. Since, speed and density are inversely related v d, hence the speed of sound in moist air will be faster than that of dry air.