How is speed of sound in air calculated in the described experiment?

• A. Distance divided by time between firing and hearing the sound
• B. Distance times time
• C. Time divided by distance
• D. Distance divided by square of time

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that speed is distance traveled per unit of time. In this setup you measure how far the sound has to travel from the source to your ear (the distance) and you time how long it takes for the sound to reach you after it’s produced (the travel time). Since the sound covers that straight-line distance in that time, the speed is simply distance divided by time. Write it as v = d/t, giving the speed in meters per second if distance is in meters and time in seconds. The value will be around 343 m/s at room temperature, changing slightly with temperature. If you used a round trip (to a wall and back), you’d be dealing with twice the distance or half the time, which would change the calculation.